DARLINGTON will soon say farewell to a tireless campaigner who has spent years fighting for the town’s most vulnerable people.

Salvation Army Minister Colin Bradshaw will move onto pastures new when he is transferred to Glasgow in July.

Throughout Major Bradshaw’s time in Darlington, he headed several high profile campaigns aimed at improving the lives of the poverty-stricken.

In 2016, he made headlines across the world with his Begging for a Tampon campaign, in which he urged every female MP to lobby for sanitary products on prescription after realising some women using his foodbank were using socks and handkerchiefs to manage their periods.

The foodbank staffed by Major Bradshaw and volunteers has helped hundreds of people cope with hunger while an annual sleeping bag appeal means 300 people a year stay warm throughout the winter.

He launched the Salvation Army Toy Appeal to ensure no Darlington child goes without a gift on Christmas morning and has helped to highlight rising levels of child poverty in the town.

As he paid a fond tribute to his home of six years, Major Bradshaw issued a stark warning, saying: “I would have liked to have seen child poverty decrease during my time in Darlington but instead it has escalated.

“If it is not dealt with, children in poverty will grow into adults in poverty, with problems with health, employment and education.

“Darlington is at a tipping point and if nothing is done, in a couple of years, we will be at a point of no return.

“I want the Salvation Army to continue being the fence at the top of the cliff, rather than the ambulance at the bottom.”

Major Bradshaw added: “I am so proud of our achievements in Darlington – I stand on the shoulders of a great team and a generous community who bring strength and inspiration.

“The work done here in Darlington has sparked international debate and has helped to make a real difference – we are throwing stones in ponds in Darlington and the ripples are going across the world.

“The support and warmth of the community has been absolutely humbling, I’ve never experienced support like it anywhere else.

“This is the nicest place I have ever lived and it has been an amazing six years.”