Adam Lazzari A leading business figure who helped raise tens of millions of pounds for charity has been killed in a car crash.Nicholas Corah, 78, who had been chairman of the textile firm Corah in Leicester for 20 years, retired to Norfolk three years ago and had been living in Burnham Market, near Wells.

Adam Lazzari

A leading business figure who helped raise tens of millions of pounds for charity has been killed in a car crash.

Nicholas Corah, 78, who had been chairman of the textile firm Corah in Leicester for 20 years, retired to Norfolk three years ago and had been living in Burnham Market, near Wells.

He died following a head-on crash at around 9.15am on Wednesday.

The maroon BMW he was driving was involved in a collision with a white Scania lorry in Whitwell Road, in Empingham, Rutland, Leicestershire.

Mr Corah continued his charity work in Norfolk and was heavily involved in raising money for Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House.

Tessa Scott, chairman of the board of trustees at the hospice, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear the news about Nicholas. He has been a great supporter of the Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House and was chairman of our Capital Appeal.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends and he will be a great loss to many, including those who will eventually benefit from the new hospice that Nicholas was so involved in making a reality.”

Mr Corah was a regular at The Hoste Arms, in Burnham Market.

Emma Tagg, managing director of The Hoste Arms, said: “This is a big shock to us and it is really tragic.

“Nicholas lived opposite the hotel and he used to pop over here regularly with his family. He was a big family man and a perfect gentleman. He will be sorely missed.”

It has been reported that Mr Corah died when he was travelling back to Leicestershire to support some of the many good causes in which he was involved.

He had been the major force behind a number of key projects in the county, including the creation of the Conkers visitors centre and a 1,000-acre forest park on derelict land in Moira.

Stephen Woolfe, of Skeffington, took over from Mr Corah as chairman of the Heart of the National Forest Foundation, which runs Conkers.

He said: “He had done so much. I'm not sure Leicestershire would have been the same place without the work he has done here.”

Mr Corah, who had lived in Wakerley, near Oakham, before moving to Norfolk, is credited with almost single-handedly raising the �20 million to get the Conkers and forest scheme off the ground.

He also headed a fund-raising team which secured �13 million for the University of Leicester.

Mr Corah was chairman of Corah until 1989, the fourth generation of his family to run the business.

Founded in the 1820s, the company supplied Marks & Spencer and was one of the city's biggest employers.

Mr Corah was founding chairman of Leicestershire Cares, an initiative which sees major companies provide staff to carry out charitable work.

He was the last High Sheriff of the merged county of Leicestershire and Rutland, as well as a deputy lieutenant of Leicestershire and then Rutland.