THE Gourock-born businessman who ran one of Scotland's top garden centres has died at the age of 76.

Eric Gallagher was chairman of the award-winning Cardwell Nursery Garden Centre in Lunderston Bay, and last year received Greenock Chamber of Commerce's top business accolade.

He passed away on Tuesday night in Ardgowan Hospice with his family by his side.

His eldest son - Drew - Cardwell's managing director, said today: "My dad had cancer five years ago and was operated on successfully.

"It gave him an extra gift of life which he grasped with both hands.

"But the cancer returned quite aggressively four months ago. He was in Inverclyde Royal off and on, and even in hospital he asked me to take in the company accounts so that he could see them." Paying tribute to Mr Gallagher today, Tele gardening correspondent George Irvine said: "Eric was always at the forefront of horticulture in Scotland and his centre brought in tourists from around the country." Eric employed 90 full-time people in the garden centre and its associated nursery and ground maintenance business, which handles contracts all over Scotland.

He was born in Nelson Road, saw national service with the Army in Cyprus and then became an ambulance driver, meeting his future wife, Isobel, when he delivered a patient to Greenock Royal Infirmary, where she was a Sister.

Eric opened his original nursery in Cardwell Bay 51 years ago, but continued to drive an ambulance at night until he went full-time into gardening, which was his hobby as well as his living.

He raised more than �150,000 for good causes, sponsored many gardening competitions and initiatives and often sent his tradesmen to help local groups after reading in the Tele that their projects had been vandalised.

Receiving the lifetime achievement award at last year's Chamber of Commerce Bee's Knees gala dinner, he paid tribute to his staff and customers and spoke about his determination to keep Cardwell at the forefront of Scottish garden centres.

He was given an extremely rare certificate of merit from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society for significant contribution to horticulture in Scotland, and also honoured with Rotary International's Paul Harris Fellowship.

Eric is survived by his wife Isobel, sons Drew and Kieran, daughter Stefanie and four-year-old grandson Sam Robb.

The garden centre will be closed on Tuesday, when Eric's funeral will take place at 10am in St Mary's Church and thereafter at Greenock Crematorium at 11am.