The family of a high street “legend” who has been told he has just weeks left to live say he will be “missed by everyone”.

Neil Harlow, owner of the U-Weigh store in Hythe, was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma in the oesophagus, a form of cancer, in April.

The 61-year-old was given a prognosis by doctors of 12 to 18 months, but after the disease metastasised in many areas of his body, including his lymph nodes and liver, this changed to just three weeks.

The father-of-three took over the High Street business when he was just 25 and it has been described by his family as “his everything”.

Though he faced many challenges over the years, Mr Harlow managed to “move with the times” and made the refill store a mainstay in the town over the past 36 years.

Despite his illness, Mr Harlow, who lives in Dymchurch with his wife Louise, 54, continued to work at the shop every day until the middle of August.

However, due to the decline in his health, his daughters Maddy, 23, and Emily, 19, have been working at the shop to keep the business going.

Maddy told KentOnline: “My dad isn't just a dad - he's not just there because he feels obliged to be. He is just a best friend to all of us.

“Whenever anyone in our family needs advice, he is always the person that we go to.

“He is a very ill man but never has a ‘help me’ attitude. He is still there for all of us and in between the hard moments he is still our dad.”

Throughout the years, all three of Mr Harlow's daughters, Maddy, Emily and Jami, 31, have worked at the shop.

U-Weigh sells dried fruits, cereal, pasta, rice, sweets and much more, providing “everything you need for your storage cupboard”.

Jami said: “My dad knew nothing about running a business when he took it over. But he has made it into such a success.

“Whenever we used to tell our friends in school what our dad’s shop was, they all knew what we were talking about.

“He constantly moved with the times. He kept it open no matter what challenges he faced.

“I don't think Hythe would be the same without his shop there. He’s a high street legend.”

Maddy had always dreamed of taking over the shop one day and will now run the business.

“I just couldn't let the store close. There are so few of these kinds of shops about and it's very special to all of us,” she said.

“My dad has always been so supportive. He has never pushed me to take over the shop myself. But I want to do it justice for him.

“I’ve always wanted to take over the store eventually but it has obviously come a lot sooner than expected.

“This business is everything to my dad. He has such a great relationship with all of his customers in the town.

“If you walk down the high street with my dad you can't go two minutes without people going up to him saying hello.

“He is going to be missed by everyone.”

Maddy says she won’t make any changes at U-Weigh as her dad ran it “perfectly”.

“The shop is my dad's baby. He put absolutely everything into it,” she said.

“We would never sell this shop and I want to keep it exactly the same for my dad.

“We were told a few weeks ago that he had just two to three weeks left to live. So we are on borrowed time.

“He will stay at home until the latter stages and then he will go to the Pilgrims Hospice”.

A close friend of the family, Emily West, has set up a JustGiving page for Mr Harlow where donations will go towards the funeral.

So far, more than £2,000 has been donated.

Maddy says that any leftover money from the fundraiser will be donated to the Pilgrims Hospice, which has been “incredible” in the support shown to her dad and the rest of the family.

“My dad is the most caring, hard-working and lovable man,” she added.

“On the day of his funeral, we are going to do a procession in the high street for him.

“We hope people will be there to stand on the high street as the hearse makes its way down the road.

“The support we have been shown by the community has been amazing. It shows how much they all appreciated him.

“We want to give him the send-off that he deserves.”