Tributes have been paid to Lilliput Lane founder David Tate following his death at the age of 72.

The Brampton businessman’s family and friends say he will be remembered as a generous man of exceptional ability and determination, who loved colour and nature.

Whether it was gardening, cooking or woodwork, they said he could turn his hand to anything and make a success of it.

His wife of 52 years, Sandra, said: “Some people have lived to 100 years and haven’t done half of what he’s done. The 72 years he had were full.”

His daughters, Debbie Radcliffe, 51, and Jeanette Berry, 50, paid tribute to their loving dad as a man of immense talent, vision and dedication.

Family friend Margaret Holland, of Brampton, said Mr Tate was a family man who was always willing to share his knowledge and wisdom.

She said: “He was just a very generous man with his time and with his gifts.

“He will be a great miss. He was so funny at times. He won’t be one we’re going to forget.”

Mr Tate died on Tuesday holding his wife Sandra’s hand and surrounded by his family at his home in Brampton, as he wanted.

He had fought cancer for the last eight years after being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in 2008. At the time he was told by doctors he only had a few years left.

But he found an oncology specialist, Dr Alison Birtle, and had radiation therapy five days a week for six weeks and three different lots of chemotherapy. Thanks to that treatment he enjoyed an extra nine years but the cancer came back and spread throughout his body.

Jeanette said: “I think dad was at peace in the last month that what could have been done was done.

“If it could have been done, it would have been done – that’s how he lived his life.”

Although Mr Tate had been unwell for the last few years and had difficulty walking, he remained active. He was in his garden workshop on the Wednesday before he died and had a cataract operation on the Thursday.

But after returning home he didn’t get out of bed, so it was moved into his front room so he could look out at his garden and workshop.

He and Sandra had travelled all over the world.

A self-made man, Mr Tate created the Lilliput Lane miniature cottages range in Penrith in 1982, starting with 20 employees. That number grew to 600 as the business boomed; at one time there were 75,000 collectors worldwide.

The couple were known as Mr and Mrs Lilliput and their employees as Lilliputians.

Sandra said: “It was a family that grew and grew and grew.”

The Queen presented Mr Tate with an MBE in the late 1980s for business and creating jobs.

Mr Tate was also known for the three acres of gardens at Garth House, Brampton, which he designed, tended and opened annually to the public.

Hundreds of people came from all over the country to visit the nationally-renowned Japanese, Chinese and Italian gardens, raising thousands of pounds for charities including Hospice at Home and cottage hospitals.

The family thanked all of the medical professionals they say had given David such fantastic care including Dr Birtle, Dr Melrose, Ann Capie, Margaret Holland and Agnes Parish.

The funeral will be at Carlisle Crematorium at 1.40pm on Wednesday, followed by a gathering at Heather Glen, Ainstable.

There will also be a celebration of his life at Penrith Methodist Church from 2pm on Saturday, February 25. Some of the crafts that he made recently will be auctioned for charity and the family encourages all who knew him to go along.