A COLLECTOR'S son is hoping charities can benefit from his father's lifelong hobby.

Terry Carter's father, Aubrey, also known as Jim, spent more than 40 years amassing dozens of hand-made models.

Jim Carter died after a long illness last month, aged 80. After serving in the army Jim worked as a manager for Comet before retiring and devoting himself to miniature models.

He started making models from plastic after completing his national service.

Now Terry Carter, of Radnage, hopes the lifetime's work can be put to good use.

"I hope we can exhibit them for charity. There are various ships including a model of the original aircraft carrier Ark Royal. There are aircraft, lorries and some railway engines.

"They vary in size from six inches to several feet. The aircraft carrier is 2ft long."

There are so many of the models, made from plastic, matchsticks and wood, that they fill the spare bedroom of Terry's house.

He said the pride and joy of his father's collection was a model of a 1940s train he had spent 40 years working on. It was completed 12 months before he died.