Lynn Wilson leaves £50m in will
Sports clubs and charities in Northamptonshire will benefit from bequests of more than £4m from philanthropist Lynn Wilson, who has left an estate worth almost £50m.
Mr Wilson, the former chairman of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, has left 500,000 each to the club and to Oakham School. He has also bequeathed 50,000 to Northampton Saints and Northampton Men's Own RFC.
His own Wilson Foundation will get 3m to help disadvantaged county children.
In total, the property magnate, who ran the family business Wilson Connolly Homes until it was sold in 2003, left 47.9m, most of it to his family.
Mark Tagg, the chief executive of the county cricket club, said the donation would go a long way towards securing developments at the County Ground.
He said: "Lynn was such an extremely generous benefactor during his life, but this has taken us all by surprise.
"This was the last thing on our minds on hearing of his death, but the donation is fantastic news for the club and we are very grateful to Lynn for all he has done to help.
"I spoke to Lynn about the developments and know he was very positive about how things were moving forward.
"Hopefully, he would have been very pleased with what we are planning to do with the money."
Mr Tagg said the club was considering creating an annual memorial to commemorate the support from Mr Wilson: "It's early days yet, but we would like to set something up, possibly involving the youth team, which is the charitable branch and which Lynn was very heavily involved with."
Plans for a 4 million transformation of the County Ground are due to be unveiled this week.
The Wilson Foundation, set up by Mr Wilson in the 1970s, has been given 3 million to help with youth projects in the county.
It has benefited hundreds of children and youth services, as well as donating more than 30,000 to the Prince's Trust.
Mr Wilson, of Hulcote, died in a car crash in Scotland on July 9.
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