ROBIN Allix-Page should have died in September last year.

But the 66-year-old photographer refused to give in to his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Last week, the Middleleaze man handed over £700 to the Great Western Hospital’s Brighter Futures radiotherapy appeal. He made the money, which will help kit-out a multi-million pound radiotherapy centre at GWH, from selling calendars and photographic prints of Swindon landmarks.

Former retail consultant Robin spent two months showing off his work in the main entrance to GWH.

He said it felt “brilliant” to hand over the cash: “I was really surprised – the response was brilliant. It was quite emotional, too. Everyone coming into the hospital was either sick or terminally sick.”

Robin said he found himself acting as a kind of counsellor, listening to the stories of those whose lives had been touched by cancer.

He knows more than most about cancer – and what effect it can have on people’s lives. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2016, doctors told him he would live just 12 months.

“I cried,” Robin said. A rollercoaster year saw him admitted to hospital four times, operated on twice and left in an intensive care ward for eight days. He spent 21 weeks driving up to GWH for potentially life-saving chemotherapy drugs.

He is now taking trial drug Enzalutamide to control the cancer, which has spread from his prostate to the rest of his body.

As he has started to feel less sick Robin, who had once worked as a cruise ship photographer, has discovered a hankering to take pictures.

He said: “During the third week of my chemo I felt a bit better. I thought I’d like to do some photography and eventually put on an exhibition.”

“I started walking around Swindon, taking pictures.”

The images he took were bundled together for two calendars – one of Lydiard Park and another of Swindon’s landscapes.

The profits have been handed over to the £2.9m Brighter Futures appeal.

The charity’s Lisa Utting said: “It’s great to have the support of local artists who are displaying their work at the Great Western. We were overwhelmed by the amount that Robin gave us.”

Robin said: “I’m happy, I’m in a good place. Life’s a gift and I’m very lucky.”