Bill Cook Room opened by his grandson at Firthmoor Community Centre, Darlington (From The Northern Echo)

Bill Cook Room opened by his grandson at Firthmoor Community Centre, Darlington

10:19am Friday 19th March 2010 in

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A COMMUNITY honoured one of their champions by renaming a room at a centre he helped to found.

Family and community members dedicated the Nightingale Room at the Firthmoor Community Centre as the Bill Cook Room yesterday.

Mr Cook, a former chairman of Firthmoor Community Association, died last September, aged 78, after a battle with cancer.

Mr Cook worked on the estate where he lived for nearly 40 years and helped secure funding worth £1.3m for the community centre and a £2m for the primary school.

Moves to honour him were first mooted in the days following his death by The Northern Echo editor Peter Barron and backed by the family.

A plaque in the room was unveiled by his grandson David Cook and a borough councillor Jenny Chapman.

His grandson Mr Cook said: "He did so much for Firthmoor, the family feel it would be nice to have a permanent memorial."

Coun Chapman said she was choked to have been asked to perform the task.

She said: "Bill took me under his wing when I first started working with community groups. He gave me lots of advice and help.

"The community felt they wanted to do something that was a lasting reminder of Bills work.

"He was central to making the community centre happen. It was his baby."