A FORMER nurse who loves dressing up as his favourite film and television characters has refused to let a dementia diagnosis stop him from living life to the full.

Stephen Hall is a familiar figure in Crook, County Durham, delighting young and old with his colourful fancy dress costumes on a daily basis.

From Popeye the Sailor Man and the Honey Monster, to Darth Vader and Chewbacca, the 59-year-old is never short of dressing up ideas, and has even been given costumes by members of the public.

Mr Hall, who was an auxiliary nurse at Bishop Auckland Hospital, was diagnosed with vascular dementia last year and is determined to continuing enjoying life.

“There is no cure but you can still live your life and have fun,” he said. “I started wearing fancy dress five years ago when some friends dressed me up as Dracula for a Halloween party. It was great fun so I started collecting more costumes. Popeye is my favourite and it seems to get the best reaction from people too.”

Mr Hall regularly visits the Chyrelle Addams Cancer Support Trust at the Royal Corner in Crook, where he is well-loved by the charity’s volunteers.

Founder Trish Greensmith said: “I think there should be more people like Stephen in the world.

“He doesn’t care what anyone thinks, he just wants to make people smile and laugh.”