Cause of A171 crash which killed Darlington MBE couple 'unknown'

Alan Charlton, 90, and Joy McCulloch, 74, who were both honoured with MBEs for services to the community, were involved in a two-vehicle collision on the A171 near Scaling Dam just before midnight on Friday (October 2)

An inquest looking into the circumstances surrounding their deaths was opened at Northallerton Coroner's Court, today (October 22).

Assistant coroner for York and North Yorkshire, Mark Armitage, said it is still unknown why the vehicles collided.

Emergency services, including the air ambulance, attended and Joy, who was a passenger in a Peugeot 2008, died at the scene.

Alan, who was the driver of the vehicle, later died in hospital, with his place of death given as Middlesbrough.

Mr Armitage said: "For reasons still unknown, the car they were travelling in collided head-on with a vehicle travelling in the other direction".

The assistant coroner gave a provisional cause of death for Mr Charlton as cardio-respiratory arrest, and a cause of death for Ms McCulloch as abdominal injuries.

He suspended both inquests pending a conclusion to the ongoing police investigation into the incident.

Alan received the MBE in 2006 for services to the community, having volunteered in various charitable roles. He had been made Darlington Citizen of the Year two years earlier.

Alan Charlton and Joy McCulloch who have been killed in a road tragedy (Image: Darlington Rotary)

Joy, Alan’s companion in recent years, was a dedicated cardiac nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital from 1984 until her retirement. She was awarded the MBE in 1999 for services to health care.

Following their deaths, tributes to the popular couple have been sent by key figures, including the Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Helen Crumbie, who praised them for their combined “kindness, compassion, dedication and community spirit.

“They were a truly lovely lady and gentleman who devoted much of their lives to serving the community.”

Alan, who was born in Tanfield Lea, in North Durham, grew up as a keen Newcastle United fan, and also enjoyed attending Darlington FC games.

His volunteering contributions included being the long-standing chair of The Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Alan Charlton and Joy McCulloch (Image: Newsquest archive)

In his professional career, Alan rose to become managing director of Farmway, a Darlington-based farmers’ co-operative, until his retirement.

Alan’s wife, Audrey, died eight years ago. They had three children, Nick, Adele, and Andrew, who passed away in 2023. He was also a grandfather to Matt, Tom, Harriet, Verity, Barney and William. He met his first great-grandchild, Alfie, just a week ago.

Joy was originally from Aberfoyle, in Scotland, and trained to be a nurse in Edinburgh before moving to Ingleton when she started work at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Her son, Iain, described her as “the best mum in the world”, adding: “She loved her family more than anyone but was the type of person who looked after everyone. She put everyone else before herself.”

She was a volunteer driver with the Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital, and a befriender with Age UK. She was also a keen gardener, walker and runner, completing lots of Great North Runs for charitable causes.

After she and Alan became companions, Iain said she had enjoyed “the happiest years of her life”. They loved attending the Darlington parkrun to cheer on Iain, and she was a devoted grandmother to Patrick and Lily.

 Enquiries into the collision are ongoing and officers are urging anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or seen either vehicle prior to it, to get in touch.

Police are particularly keen to hear from anyone with relevant dashcam footage.

Anyone with information should call North Yorkshire Police on 101 or email sciu@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference 12260194121.