THE treasurer of Darlington's Talking Newspaper for the Blind has died.

Tony Dolding, a father-of-two, of Polam Road, in the town, died on Monday, aged 73.

A former engineer, he came to the region in the 1950s, and worked at ICI and Redpath Offshore as a chief estimator.

Mr Dolding had a keen interest in wildlife and gardening. He was a member of Darlington Amateur Gardening Club and Darlington Orchid Society.

He was also a member of the Royal Air Force Association.

Mr Dolding, leaves his wife, Barbara, daughters Heather, 39, and Gillian, 42, and grandchildren Robert, 15, Hayley, 13, and Sophie, 12.

Mrs Dolding said: "He was a quiet family man and very kind. He was very thoughtful and never had a fuss about anything and was always there for everybody."

Mr Dolding joined the Talking Newspaper for the Blind two years ago as treasurer.

Using his knowledge of computers he devised a barcode system for scanning tapes in and out of the building.

Carl Ottolini, of the Talking Newspaper, said: "Tony was much more to us than a treasurer. He was interested in computing and brought us into the computing age."

Mr Dolding's funeral will be held on Wednesday, at Bondgate Methodist Church, Darlington, at 3pm, followed by private cremation.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Talking Newspaper, PO Box 14, Priestgate, Darlington.