A Mawgan woman who lost her husband to motor neurone disease (MND) one year ago is organising a memorial fundraiser in his honour in Helston on October 15.

Christopher Roberts, who had lived in the village all his life, was 57 when he lost his fight with the incurable degenerative disease in September last year, having been diagnosed only 16 months previously.

Now his wife Lesley is planning an event with live music, a charity auction, and a welcome drink and pasty supper, to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association, which supports people with MND and their families and helps fund and promote research into the disease.

Christopher first noticed something was wrong with his health in 2013 on a visit to his daughter at university, when he was lagging behind his family.

Lesley said: "We were teasing him and he just kept saying 'I'm window shopping.'"

Soon people were asking him about his leg, but he said it wasn't causing him any pain, and it wasn't until he went out to fetch in some sheep and lost control of his legs that he realised something was up.

Lesley said: "He was quite distressed. He said 'I thought my legs had turned to jelly, I didn't think I'd make it up the drive.'"

Doctors said he had a dropped foot, but as there is currently no test for MND he underwent a lot of tests to rule out any other possible causes, all of which came back negative.

Lesley said: "In May 2015 he went to seethe consultant, and there was the diagnosis: 'I'm very sorry you, have got motor neurone disease, and it's terminal.' It was not a good day."

She continued: "The average life span from diagnosis is two to five years. It affected his legs, speech and hands quite quickly. He started slurring his speech and became unable to grip things very well. Within six months he needed to be in a wheelchair."

By the beginning of 2015 Christopher was having to be fed, and had already had to give up the farming which was his life's work and passion, then the disease started affecting his chest muscles. He had the option to have a tracheostomy - a tube inserted into his windpipe to help breathing - but decided he did not wish to be kept alive in a failing body.

Lesley, who was married to Christopher for 21 years, said: "It's a horrible, horrible disease for anyone to go through, because there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do is alleviate the symptoms and offer palliative care.

"You are left impotent in a lot of ways because there's not really any treatment.

"People want to do something: the Ice Bucket Challenge was great but that's never going to be enough. They are not going to find a cure soon."

All this has driven Lesley on to organise the fundraiser, and she hopes half the money will stay in Cornwall to help people with MND while the rest goes to fund research. She said: "It's not going to bring Christopher back but I can do a little bit to help."

Christopher left one daughter, Chloe, from his marriage to Lesley, as well as bringing up her two children for a previous marriage, Tamara and Jordan.

He had wanted to see Chloe's graduation from university, but Lesley said he was "sadly, a year out on that."

The event at the Old Cattle Market will feature 1940s style swing band the Macmillanaires, local band Tiger Tales - formerly Loose Change, and Christopher's own daughter performing under the stage name Talwyn.

Tickets cost £20 and are available from Lesley by calling 01326 221280 or emailing laroberts58@yahoo.co.uk