TRIBUTES flooded in today following the death of one of Keighley’s hardest-working community volunteers, Alex Brown.

Mr Brown was a well-known figure in Braithwaite and Bracken Bank as well as with social housing tenants across the town and the whole district.

He has been heavily involved with a number of projects in some of the most deprived areas of Keighley for the past two decades.

Mr Brown, who died peacefully on Thursday last week, was a long-standing volunteer with Braithwaite People’s Association, developing estate’s Keith Thompson Centre as a community centre and cafe following the departure of the Children’s Society in the 1990s.

In recent years he has also been chairman of the Sue Belcher Centre in Bracken Bank, overseeing many activities for a range of age groups.

For many years Mr Brown has been particularly involved with organisations supporting council-house tenants across Bradford, continuing after the housing stock was transferred to Incommunities.

He was chairman of the Bradford District Tenant and Residents Federation and a strong supporter of the annual Gerry Pickersgill Awards, which recognise outstanding tenant involvement.

Keighley town councillor Mick Westerman had known Mr Brown since the pair volunteered together in the early days of the Braithwaite People’s Association.

Cllr Westerman said: “Alex was a very hard-working guy with a lovely family. He got involved in everything.

“He wasn’t there for the limelight, he just went in and did what needed to be done. He did it for the town, not for Alex Brown.

“It’s a huge loss not only for Keighley, but for everywhere. He’ll be very hard to replace.”

Community development worker Pip Gibson, who worked closely with Mr Brown in Bracken Bank and Braithwaite, described him as a great ambassador for community development in Keighley West ward.

She said: “Alex has been instrumental in ensuring the sustainability of the Sue Belcher Centre for the past five years, enabling Bracken Bank and District Community Association to develop as a forward-thinking organisation.

“He made it possible for me to develop my work with confidence. He was my friend and mentor and will be sadly missed.”

Incommunities chief executive Geraldine Howley today paid tribute to the man she had worked closely with the many years.

She said: “Alex had been ill for a number of years but refused to let it get in the way of his many roles at Incommunities and within the community.

“His positivity and dedication were exemplary and enabled him to achieve great things for the tenants and communities of the Keighley and Bradford district.

“Alex was a passionate residents’ champion and active supporter of Incommunities. He previously served as chair of the Aire-Wharfe Local Management Trust and was a member of several customer panels.

“In 2016, I was delighted to present Alex with a Special Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his tireless work in helping residents and as a strong advocate of social housing.

“It has also been agreed with Alex’s daughter, Katie, that there will be a remembrance event at a future date."

Cllr Simon Cooke, Conservative opposition leader on Bradford Council, today described Mr Brown is a lovely man who “did loads for better housing in Keighley and beyond”.

Mr Brown’s daughter Kathryn Bowles today posted on Facebook that her father’s funeral would be on Wednesday, April 26 at Nab Wood Crematorium at 1.20pm.

The funeral procession will set off from her house at 12.30pm, travelling via the Keith Thompson Centre , on Braithwaite Avenue, were his family will lay a flower for him in remembrance of his time there.

A funeral tea will be held at the Gas Club in Russell Street, Keighley.