A GROUP of fundraisers have been paying tribute to the hospital staff who looked after their inspiration.

Chumkaur Singh passed away one year ago, but the love he shared, and the memories continue on in charity events.

In his memory a group have raised money for The James Cook Hospital - Ward Four Renal Unit and The Darlington Memorial Hospital - Dialysis Unit.

For many years at The James Cook Hospital, Mr Singh was under the care of Dr Louden, Dr Murray, and the staff in Ward Four.

The care he received was excellent and the staff were always caring and supportive not only towards Mr Singh but also to his wider family.

For nearly 20 years, Mr Singh was a regular patient at The Darlington Memorial Hospital - Dialysis Unit. This is where he would go three times a week for his dialysis treatment.

Harjot Jaspal said: “They went above and beyond with his treatment and care.

“We wanted to give something back to both hospitals to show our appreciation for everything they did to take care of our fun loving, go-getting, heart of the family.

“We thought about completing a sponsored challenge in his memory.

"Chumkaur took really good care of himself, and he was always very careful with his own diet.

“He was very caring and would give us very good dietary advice. Although he is no longer here to give that advice in person, his words of wisdom live on.

"Chips on your lips goes straight to your hips."

Ten people took part in the weight loss challenge to lose a minimum of ten stones collectively in six weeks.

Amrit Khokhar, Rav Jaspal, Saj Patel, Pam Patel, Sunny Ghag, Harjot Jaspal, Sunny Jaspal, Dips Singh, Manpreet Ghag and Aruna Ghag all took part.

Miss Jaspal added: "We wanted to do challenge in memory of our beloved uncle Chumkaur. He spent most his time in both hospitals. The staff have always been friendly and supportive.

"In the following two weeks we hit our target and lost a total of 64.1kg.

"The challenge was tough but was made easier as it was for a such good cause."

In total the group raised £2200.71.

A cheque of £1043.68 was raised for each hospital.

£115 was spent on two hampers for gifts for all the staff.