A REMARKABLE man who has raised almost �50,000 for charity after his wife and children were killed in a car crash was invited to meet the Queen last week.Andrew Gitsham, formerly of Eaton Ford and now living in Great Cambourne, was asked to attend the go

A REMARKABLE man who has raised almost �50,000 for charity after his wife and children were killed in a car crash was invited to meet the Queen last week.

Andrew Gitsham, formerly of Eaton Ford and now living in Great Cambourne, was asked to attend the golden jubilee reception of Cruse Bereavement Care, which was hosted by the monarch at St James's Palace.

The 39-year-old said Cruse had been his "life-savers" after he lost his wife, Stacey, 26, their two-year-old son Josh, and 11-week-old baby girl, Georgia, in a crash on the A1 at St Neots.

The car Stacey was driving was hit by a lorry in December 2005. It burst into flames, killing Mr Gitsham's family.

Since the crash Mr Gitsham has raised thousands for Cruse through sponsored runs, golf days and other events, making him its biggest individual fundraiser.

He was unaware of his achievement until the charity's chairman, Nigel Tricker, presented him to the Queen on Thursday.

Mr Gitsham told The Hunts Post that meeting the Queen was a "very humbling experience".

"It was all a bit surreal," he said. "One minute you are going about your normal life then the next thing you know you are in St James's Palace being introduced to the Queen.

"You do not expect to get an opportunity like this and I never would have thought something like this would happen through something so tragic."

Mr Gitsham, a partner in Cambridge-based home entertainment firm Audio File, told the Queen how Cruse had helped him.

He said: "It was only for a minute or two that we were talking but she gave me her full attention. I felt like she was talking to me because she was genuinely interested and wanted to and not because she had to.

"There's a team of friends and family who have been very supportive of me and helped me through the dark days, of which there have been many and so I was there for them as well."

He added: "I think people have given money to Cruse because my story touched their hearts. They realise that we were just a normal family going about our everyday life and this horrific incident could have happened to anyone.

"Cruse helped me to start a new life and I will continue fundraising for them because I do not feel like I have given them as much as they have given me.