MORE than 500 mourners packed into church yesterday to bid farewell to a young firefighter described as a true good samaritan.

Dave Harkin, who was just 36 and had raised thousands of pounds for charities, died last Saturday after a short and courageous battle against cancer.

And even at his funeral, friends and family of the dedicated officer, husband and father raised more than £2,500 for Macmillan nurses.

Mr Harkin, who was based at Durham's fire service headquarters at Framwellgate Moor, near Durham, lived at Belmont and leaves a wife Karen and two-and-a-half year old daughter, Elle.

It was while growing up with his mother Margaret, at a house on the edge of the service's HQ drill yard that he decided to become a firefighter.

He became a retained officer in 1992 and later became a full-time firefighter in 1998.

And it was fitting that his funeral cortege should stop off at the fire station yesterday where it was joined by two fire appliances before travelling through a guard of honour and then proceeding with police outriders to the church.

His coffin draped in the Union flag and with his uniform laid on top was carried through a second guard of honour, before a final guard of honour was staged at the cemetery.

The parable of the Good Samaritan was one of the readings and among those paying tributes was Deputy Chief Fire Officer Paul Henderson.

It was during his untiring work for the Fire Service Benevolent Fund and many other charities that Mr Harkin became pals with Big Brother celebrity and former firefighter Johnny Regan, who was among the mourners yesterday.

After the service his Station Manager Alan Gibson said: "Dave's tragic death marks not just a great loss to the service but to the whole community."