IN the days after Princess Diana's death in 1997, The Northern Echo campaigned to raise money to complete the building of the children's wing at the Butterwick Hospice.

Ever since that appeal was launched, I've been proud to have been associated with the Butterwick, both as a fundraiser, and now as one of the hospice's ambassadors.

That sense of pride has not been changed by today's news that former Butterwick chief executive Graham Leggatt-Chidgey has pleaded guilty to defrauding the charity.

Yes, I am angry that someone in a position of such enormous trust, a man I had known professionally for 20 years, could have done something so unbelievably shameful as to take money from a charity caring for those nearing the end of their lives.

Like many others - patients and families, dedicated staff, and other fund-raisers - I feel shocked and betrayed. A prison sentence is surely inevitable.

But we must all remember that there is a bigger picture. What Graham Leggatt-Chidgey has done is appalling, but the legacy of Mary Butterwick is much more important than any individual.

In 1979, when her husband died of cancer, the Stockton mother-of-four responded in the most wonderful way. Mary sold her home to lay the financial foundations for a place where people could die with the kind of dignity denied to her husband John.

Mary saw beyond her own heartbreak and established an organisation which has provided priceless care for more than 30 years.

Mary died three years ago, aged 91, but her legacy will continue to reap benefits long after Leggatt-Chidgey's sentence has been served.

We should not underestimate the gravity of the former chief executive's offences. They have undermined confidence in the organisation and damaged morale.

But they must also be seen in the context of the sacrifice and humanity of one of the most extraordinary people I ever met - Mary Butterwick.