Trevor Culpan, a former world champion harmonica player from Rastrick, died in January 2004, leaving £460,000 to Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

It was always his wish to leave money for the hospital where he had been treated on many occasions and his bequest was one of the largest the trust has every received.

The cash has been spent on the intensive care unit, maternity unit and general wards at Calderdale Royal Hospital, and now on specialist imaging equipment to examine eyes.

The optical coherence tomography is used to diagnose a range of eye disease including age-related macular degeneration, and when planning retina surgery.

Stephen Spencer, consultant ophthalmologist at the trust, said: "People in Calderdale and Hudders-field will benefit from this relatively new, non-invasive way of examining the eye."

Mr Culpan's cousin and family spokesman Robert Booth said: "Trevor was always appreciative of the care and treatment he received at the hospital.

"He was interested in new technology, and we are pleased that so many people will benefit from the new equipment."

As a harmonica player Mr Culpan won the Blackpool Trophy in 1959 and 1960 when he was also fourth in the national harmonica competition. In 1963 he came third in the world harmonica championships and in 1964 he became national champion for the first time.

In 1975 he was sponsored by harmonica legend Larry Adler to appear on Hughie Green's TV show Opportunity Knocks. Mr Culpan described the occasion, when he played The Bavarian Woodpecker, as "the height of my ambition".

Mr Culpan served in the RAF in Africa and worked as a weaver at Firth Carpets in Bailiff Bridge. He was educated at the Victoria Central School in Brighouse and his interest in music began when he took up piano lessons at the age of nine.