A COMMUNITY is mourning the death of a charity stalwart who raised tens of thousands of pounds for good causes.

“Honest” John Hilton was rushed to hospital on Friday morning and died later that day.

Earlier this month, the charity champion retired following a stint in hospital and a period of feeling unwell.

Mr Hilton ran a bric-a-brac stall in Newton Aycliffe for more than a decade and donated the proceeds– around £200,000– to community groups, schools, clubs and voluntary organisations in the area.

Messages from Newton Aycliffe residents have flooded social media in memory of Mr Hilton calling him a kind gentlemen.

One social media user said: “No words can ever explain how great this man was – he was the best the town could ever ever have been gifted with – he has helped so many many people and all are overwhelmed by this."

Sedgefield MP Paul Howell took to social media to share his sympathies.

In a statement on Facebook he said: “I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Honest John. He will be very sadly missed.

“His efforts that started at such a small scale to help and give back to his own community then continued and grew so much so that he was able to directly assist local charities and positively affect the lives of many local residents.

“He was always humble, unassuming and thinking of others. The more people we have in this world that strive to be like John and follow his example in life, the better a place we will all be in.

“Rest in Peace John.”

Over the years the dedicated fundraiser has including The Pioneering Car Partnership’s (PCP) ‘Dive In’ campaign set up to fund the refurbishment of a 20-year-old hydrotherapy pool.

The fundraiser donated regularly to the PCP for several years and added another £1,000 into the pot, at the time he said: “It’s a small drop in the overall total however, it gets you closer to the overall goal.”

Mr Hilton also supporting sports groups including Sedgefield Water Polo Club – who are based between Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor Leisure Centre.

Club chair, Eric Pratt, said: “He was and kind and generous man who transformed many lives that he touched with his charity work. He helped our club and for that we are very thankful and sad to hear of his passing away.”