CROWDS gathered to pay tribute to a man who dedicated his life to helping those less fortunate than himself.

Half Moon Lane, in Spennymoor, County Durham, was packed with mourners wanting to pay their last respects to popular minister Walter Wilkinson, from the town, who died last Saturday, aged 49.

The small independent Mount Pleasant Methodist Chapel was bursting at the seams an hour before Thursday's funeral.

Millionaires stood alongside the homeless, the young next to the old, as the congregation spilled out into the street.

A lifelong friend and fellow minister at the chapel, Lynn Blair, led the service, and mourners outside heard her tributes relayed through two large speakers.

She told of the dedication - which became a vocation - to providing food and soup kitchens for the homeless on Tyneside and Teesside, and described him as someone who loved everyone.

His wife, Anne, and daughters, Leanne and Helen, supported his dedication.

Minister Blair said: "He couldn't do what he did without the girls' support. Anne used to organise him and when the girls got bigger they got the job.''

His family have received 400 condolence cards. After the service, friend Brian McAnaney said he had left a legacy that would continue.

Yesterday, Mrs Wilkinson vowed that her husband's work would go on.

She said the funeral had been a "fitting accolade for a man who mixed with all walks of life".

Many of the people he helped had no home or form of transport, yet managed to find their way from Newcastle and Middlesbrough to say goodbye.

She said: "I was very pleased they were there to show their respect.''