More than £1,000 has been raised for a brain research charity in memory of a dad who died on Christmas Day last year after suffering from a condition which had puzzled doctors.

Lee Babbs, of Godmanchester, who was 38, began to have serious health problems last summer.

His dad, Leslie, said: “He started struggling with his eyesight and lost muscular control in one side of his body. Over the next five or six months he just got worse.”

Lee, who was a warehouse supervisor, was referred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for scans but they proved inconclusive.

“Nothing showed up,” added Mr Babbs, of Ramsey Road, St Ives. “All the doctors were puzzled about what was going on.

“In about November he went into Hinchingbrooke Hospital with pneumonia. He started to recover but he was losing his speech.

“Then he got a chest infection and he never got over it. He passed away in the early hours of Christmas Day. At the time, they didn’t know what had been wrong.”

To help solve the mystery, his family gave permission for tissue samples to be taken and eventually it was found Lee had suffered an inoperable diffused brain tumour.

“We have had a certain amount of closure now we have found out,” added Mr Babbs.

To help others going through similar situations, in the hope that earlier diagnosis could lead to a better outcome, Mr Babbs said they wanted to raise funds for the Brain Research Trust.

The charity was set up in 1971 to provide funding for studies into neurological conditions and works closely with UCL in London.

Two fundraisers were held last month in Lee’s memory. The first, included games, an auction, a grand draw with prizes donated by local businesses, a quiz and a disco. It was hosted by Tony and Lynn Herrick at the Seven Wives pub in St Ives, where Lee had played for the pool team. It raised £1,113.50.

The second was a golf day, organised by the Queen’s Head pub in Needingworth, which raised another £350 for the Trust.

Mr Babbs, who described his son as an “outgoing lad” and an avid supporter of Liverpool Football Club, said: “The fundraising has been wonderful, people have shown such generosity. We cannot thank them enough.”

Lee left his daughter, Emily, 13, long-term partner Tania Hall, a sister Kelly and his parents Leslie and Sandy.

For more on the work of the Brain Research Trust, visit www.brt.org.uk.