IT is with great sadness today that we report the death at 82 of Don Robson, the former leader of Durham County Council and the driving force behind Durham County Cricket Club’s remarkable rise to first-class status.

Mr Robson leaves a remarkable legacy as a man who helped make a dream, which seemed highly unlikely, to come true in the most wonderful, long-lasting way.

There is a very good reason why Durham’s Riverside ground, in the shadow of Lumley Castle, at Chester-le-Street, features “The Don Robson Pavilion”.

It is because he deserves to be remembered for generations to come as the key to unlocking the county’s potential as a place to play cricket at the highest level.

After a concerted effort, with Mr Robson at the helm, Durham joined England’s elite counties in 1990.

In the summer of 2013, The Riverside became a venue for an Ashes test. County Durham was placed on the international sporting map and we all had to pinch ourselves that a fairytale could have such a far-fetched plot and yet turn out to be true.

In so many ways, Don Robson was the author of that fairytale and County Durham, and the wider region, owes him a great deal.

When Michael Heseltine approved plans for the construction of the Riverside ground, Mr Robson said: “This is the last piece of the jigsaw. The next stage is to make sure that the riverside development itself is one which we, Chester-le-Street, and the whole of the North-East can be proud."

There is not a single person in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, or the wider North-East, who will argue with the declaration that Don Robson’s legacy is something to be very proud of indeed.

Don Robson – thank you for your vision, and rest in peace.