At the beginning of 2026, Woking lost one of its brightest and most well respected characters.

Sam Molnar, also known as Sammy, Sammy Carpets and Sammy Spurs, was one of the most prolific fundraisers in the town. Through collaborations on various fundraising events, Sam raised £144,000 for Woking & Sam Beare Hospice and Wellbeing Care over the years.

Sam, 66, spent his final days in the hospice in January after a short but brave battle with pancreatic cancer.

There was no stopping Sam. With a beaming grin and a laugh that always made you smile, Sam was a friend to all. Devoted to his family, he lived his life helping others.

Shortly after his terminal cancer diagnosis, Sam designed and sold T-shirts, raising around £5,000 for the hospice and telling others: “Let’s be kind out there.”

The hospice had a big place in Sam’s heart, after his mother, Ann, and brother, John, were cared for at the charity’s former home in Hillview Road. Sam once described the hospice as a “five-star hotel with angels”.

Father-of-two Sam, who lived in Byfleet and more recently moved to Ottershaw, was a people person. He loved to talk to people and hear their stories.

One of six children, Sam was married to Anji for 43 years, a proud Dad to Jade and Curtis, and grandad too.

Carpet salesman Sam made so many friends, not just in Woking but across the globe, shown by the hundreds of tributes from around the world that flooded his Facebook page when he died.

“One of my dad’s many sayings was ‘don’t ask, don’t get’. I know that attitude opened so many doors for him,” Jade said.

Anji added: “Sam had so many sayings. He was a salesman and always said to us, ‘people buy from people’. If he met someone who he really liked, his brain would be whirring about who else he could put them in touch with so they could do something.

“If he found someone he liked, they were a friend for life. He had a good way of getting people together.”

Best friend Steve “Tufty” Carver volunteered with Sam as a driver for Woking Foodbank.

“Sam was never afraid of throwing himself in,” he said. “He was a big character. If Sam was in the room, you knew he was in the room. We had so many laughs over the years.”

After selling carpets for singer and songwriter Paul Weller’s home, Sam dreamt of bringing the singer to Woking for a charity gig.

Working with friends and hospice staff, Sam realised that dream and on a balmy summer’s evening in June 2010 hundreds of fans packed out Woking Leisure Centre for the Wake Up Woking gig. That night raised £60,000 for the hospice.

Remembering his friend Sam, Paul Weller said: “Sammy would drive me crazy getting stuff signed for raffles and auctions for Woking Hospice. And now I’ll miss it, and him!

“He worked tirelessly for the hospice. He had a good soul and his heart was always in the right place. A good man - God bless him. We’ll all miss him.”

Even though Sam had completed his mission of getting Paul Weller to sing again in the town, Sam continued his fundraising. He even arranged for Paul to officially open the hospice’s Wild Wood garden.

Sam rode 300 miles from London to Paris with friend Nicola Tait and was part of a team for the RideLondon-Surrey cycling event.

He cycled around Kenya raising funds for the charity, Regain, with his sister Gloria and friend Gary. Sam organised charity fishing matches for the hospice with his brother Laszlo, and rode in the Woking Bikeathon dressed as a hippo with daughter Jade in a chick costume.

He ran the London Marathon in 1990, finishing in under four hours.

Sam Wakefield, Sam’s niece and the hospice’s senior marketing manager, said: “I experienced the care my uncle received from both a personal and professional perspective. Seeing the compassion and quality of care first-hand was deeply reassuring, and it makes me immensely proud to be part of this team.”

Sam’s final days were spent at the hospice, surrounded by family and friends and cuddles with his beloved Jack Russell, Mylo.