​Aid group stunned by surprise bequest

Oxfam is to receive £41 million after a catering company boss bequeathed the huge sum in his will.

Richard Cousins, who owned Compass Catering, died in a seaplane crash with his fiancée, two sons and daughter on Hogmanay in Australia.

He left instructions a year before the incident by way of a "common tragedy clause" so that if he and his family were to die at the same time, his fortune would go to charity.

To put the donation in context in its last annual report for 2016-17, the charity received a total of £19m from wills.

It comes as Oxfam is facing financial difficulty in the wake of allegations that its staff hired prostitutes while working in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

Four employees were fired for "gross misconduct" and three others, including the were allowed to leave the charity.

A spokesman from the charity said: "We are extremely grateful for this bequest of which we have only recently been notified.

"We are working with the family and our board of trustees to identify how the money will be used."