A GLASGOW entrepreneur whose dad was cared for in the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice is determined his late father’s legacy will live on.

Oli Norman, who runs a string of successful Glasgow bars and restaurants, is donating funds to build an art therapy room in the hospice’s new home in Bellahouston Park.

His dad, David, found solace in drawing and painting in the last few weeks of his life as he tried to come to terms with the shock diagnosis of a brain tumour.

“Out of the blue, my dad – who had always been fit and healthy – started behaving strangely, doing and saying things that were entirely out of character,” explains Oli, who also runs online deals website Itison.

“A scan revealed he had a brain tumour and he had surgery to remove most of it.”

Oli adds: “The follow-up scan two weeks later revealed almost everything they had cut away had just grown back. It was very aggressive, very fast-acting, and he was given just a few months to live.”

For the whole family - Oli and his siblings, and his mother Judy - the diagnosis was devastating.

“It was too challenging for my dad to stay at home, so he went in to the hospice and we were blown away by the care he received,” says Oli. “From the moment he went in, everything calmed down.”

A keen collector of art and a keen artist himself, David spent a great deal of time in the hospice’s art room.

“Art became the conduit that helped my dad express himself, and it got him to a much happier place in those last few weeks,” says Oli. “We’ll always be very grateful for that.”

David died, aged 62, in 2005. When plans for the new hospice were announced, Oli was keen to get involved.

“My dad had a rich and colourful life – he ran his own hardwood importing business and he travelled the world, filling our house with objets d’art from his trips long before it was fashionable to do so,” smiles Oli.

“I admired him for being able to do what he wanted, and that was a big influence on me when I was growing up – he definitely inspired me.”

Now that he is a dad himself, Oli – who is married to TV presenter Cat Cubie with one daughter, Indy, who is nearly two, and a second baby on the way – is keen to support the hospice’s new campaign, Raise the Roof, which launched yesterday.

“The minute this little person arrives, you realise what life is all about,” he smiles.

“When you lose someone you love, you are in shock and you don’t know what to do and say. The staff at the hospice step in, and things get better.”

He adds: “No-one ever wants to need the hospice, but when you do, they are nothing short of astonishing.

“Being able to contribute to the amazing new building project has been fantastic, knowing that I can help them, and realising that my dad’s legacy will live on.”

Donate £5 to Raise the Roof by texting ROOF to 70660 or donate online at www.ppwh.org.uk/donate or www.itison.com