SINCE losing his wife four years ago Mark Edwards has been busy keeping her memory alive.

Before 57-year-old Sue died in March 2013 from a brain tumour she told Mark and their daughter Gemma that she wanted them to use her brushstrokes to raise money for a brain tumour charity.

So they did and, so far, the exhibitions and sales of cards, tea towels and bags bearing Sue’s artistic botanical talents have raised more than £30,000.

Conscious of the need to help boost funds to raise awareness about brain tumours and support those who are affected, Mark and his family are now pressing on in the hope they can raise a further £10,000 - possibly more.

In and amongst the exhibitions, which began exactly a year after Sue’s death, Mark is also hoping to compile a hand book written from a former carer’s perspective to help carers whose loved ones have been diagnosed with a brain tumour and, through his involvement with Dying Matters - an organisation raising awareness of dying, death and bereavement, he wants to make death less of a taboo subject.

“I want to see communities talking about death and dying and we don’t, we shy away from talking about death and dying,” says Mark.

“We are where cancer was 40 years ago when I was a young man and you didn’t really talk about cancer.

“Now we talk about it quite openly and now we need to talk about death and dying quite openly,” he adds.

Hosting the exhibitions of Sue’s work aren’t just supporting and helping to raise awareness about BTRS (Brain Tumour Research and Support Across Yorkshire, formerly known as Andrea’s Gift, the charity set up in memory of Bradford mum, Andrea Key, who died from a brain tumour), they are also keeping Sue’s legacy alive.

The first exhibition, held at Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate where Sue had attended a botanical illustration course in 1994, raised a staggering £14,000 for the charity.

Sue had always harboured a creative flair. She was a skilful sewer, creating her daughter’s wedding dress; she also dabbled with pottery and loved gardening.

Sue transformed the three quarters of an acre of land at their Shipley home into an outdoor sanctuary with beautiful blooms.

Attending the botanical illustration course at Harlow Carr enabled her to combine her love of gardening and art.

Sadly the diagnosis of an aggressive brain tumour in April 2011 put pay to Sue’s painting. Mark recalled in a previous interview how Sue’s symptoms weren’t specific other than a few aches and pains and bouts of double vision.

It wasn’t until she collapsed in her beloved garden - the sanctuary she so lovingly nurtured and which provided the backdrop to many of her watercolour paintings - that investigations revealed she had a brain tumour.

Yet, despite the seriousness of what she and her family faced, Sue never lost her zest for life, nor her love of painting, and now her legacy is living on.

As well as Harlow Carr, Mark has also showcased Sue’s work in Saltaire and at Hyde Hall in Essex. Her paintings also have a regular presence in the new BTRS shop in Headingley, Leeds.

“At the exhibitions on average one person a day comes to me saying that they have been affected by someone very close dying of a brain tumour,” says Mark.

“Without exception they all want to increase the awareness of brain tumours. In continuing I am committing to that raising of awareness. It is also nice to be able to support others that have been affected.”

Showcasing Sue’s work also helps to keep her memory alive.

“People see a print and they ask me to tell them a bit about Sue. I am still very proud of her and I think that rather shines through,” says Mark.

A spokeswoman for BTRS says: “We are so very grateful to Mark for his continued fundraising on behalf of BTRS. Sue’s artwork is one of the first exhibitions in the new BTRS Charity Shop – No 31, in Headingley, and it is proving very popular with our customers. The money raised through the sale of Sue’s Botanical Art helps those fighting this terrible disease in Yorkshire right now. Mark’s dedication to Sue’s legacy and to helping others is an inspiration to us all.”

For more information visit sueedwardsbotanical.com.