Charitable donations have been pouring in after the death of a “devoted” fundraising director who suffered a brain haemorrhage during a Parkrun.
Nila James, 55, director of fundraising at Magic Bus UK, is survived by her husband Matt and their two daughters.
Following her death on 5 September, Matt set up a JustGiving page to raise money for his wife’s favourite cause, The World Wildlife Fund.
The initial £1,000 target was quickly passed and the total raised currently stands at just over £9,200.
Writing on LinkedIn, Matt said: “I’d just like to say the most massive thank you to all the incredibly generous donations that have been made in memory of our beautiful Nila.
The last month has been unimaginably sad, but the girls and I are coping. Without the love and support from everyone in family, friends and colleagues, life would have been a lot more difficult.
“The memorial fund for Nellie has blown us away. I hope she’s looking down on us and saying it was a good job done.”
Nila started out in the sector in 1997 as an area fundraising manager with RNIB, before working for Cancer Research UK and Sense.
She also worked for the British Veterinary Association and the Animal Health Trust.
Latterly, she was director of fundraising at Calibre Audio and had spent the past seven months at Magic Bus UK.
Matt said: “To say we are devastated is an understatement. Nila was my world for 22 years, and at just 55, cruelly taken from us way too soon.
“Nila devoted her career to making life better for others and was one year into a Masters Degree for leaders in fundraising. I’ve no doubt Nila would have made great use of this qualification and cemented her glittering career at the highest level.”