Tributes are being paid to a ‘remarkable’ man, whose fascination with a Roman pavement at Woodchester is remembered second to his extraordinary work improving the lives of children with cancer.

Bob Woodward founded Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood (CLIC) after his son, Robert, was diagnosed with cancer.

He died yesterday, January 20, at the age of 85.

During his lifetime, he raised more than £100million for charity and had received a many accolades for his work including a Pride of Britain award in 2011, an honorary degree from the University of Bristol and an OBE from the Queen.

Bob was born in 1933 in Bristol. After leaving school at the age of 14 he started work as a builder, joining forces with his brother to move into property development.

He was behind several developments in Wotton under Edge, including the restoration of historical buildings in Market Street in the 1970s.

A chance visit to see the Roman pavement at Woodchester churchyard when it was briefly uncovered in 1973 inspired him and his brother to spend a decade making a replica.

The ambitious task required four tonnes of clay to make the 1.75 million individual stone cubes required for the mosaic.

Once completed the remarkable replica, known as the Orpheus Pavement, was put on display at Prinknash Abbey before being sold into a private collection.

A family tragedy inspired a lifelong mission for Bob to improve standards of treatment, care and support for families facing childhood cancer, after his son Robert was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 1974 and sadly died in 1977 aged 11.

Faced with losing his son to cancer, Bob applied his enormous energy and resourcefulness to change the world of the child with cancer, founding CLIC (Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood) in 1976, one of the most successful children's charities of recent decades.

Bob has received worldwide recognition for his charity work from figures as diverse as Mikhail Gorbachev and the Duchess of Kent.

Kate Lee, CEO of CLIC Sargent, said: “We were really saddened to hear this news and send our heartfelt condolences to Bob’s family and friends at this difficult time. Many years ago, Bob set out on an incredible mission to improve the treatment options and support available to children and young people with cancer. There is still a huge need for such support today and his legacy will live on especially in our many services such as our Homes from Home and nursing.

“Bob’s caring nature and his drive to not stop until every child and young person suffering from cancer receives better support, lives on in our charity’s values today. It’s with Bob’s commitment that we continue our mission to be there for the 12 children and young people who hear the devastating news that they have cancer each day.”