Inspirational St Wilfrid's fundraiser John Rigg dies aged 95

John Rigg was chairman of the hospice's Bognor Regis support group for 12 years, during that time raising more than 100,000.

Two years after he retired at 62 he moved to the Bognor area from Orpington in Kent, with his wife Pauline.

He soon joined the local men's association in Pagham '“ PagMen '“ and became heavily involved, and put himself forward for local council elections.

It was after this he became involved with St Wilfrid's.

His son, Trevor Rigg, said: "His tireless, unstinting efforts to raise money for the St Wilfrid's Hospice will be what many today will remember him for, and it is difficult to find a finer legacy to the community in which he lived and a finer tribute to him.

"No-one remembers him saying that he did the work out of a deep sense of charity; he did it because he loved organising people.

"He was, for many years, the driving force behind the Bognor Support Group, which was set up in response to the creation of the Chichester Hospice Trust.

"The many fundraising activities included sponsored swims, tin rattling, flag days, paper collections, concerts at venues ranging from Arundel cathedral to Pagham church, barbecues, coffee mornings, fetes."

One of the founders of the hospice, Dr Sandra Sedgewick, said he was an inspirational man.

"He was a real character," she said. "He was pretty determined, and wasn't somebody who would take things lying down, if he decided he was going to do something, he would do it.

"He was known as the boss at the support group, and when the boss said jump, you would."

She added: "He was one of the first people to take up the cause in Bognor and he worked very hard.

"Many years after he stepped down as the chairman of the support group he continued to help us on collections until his eyesight became so bad he really had problems getting around himself."

A service of remembrance will be held at Chichester Crematorium tomorrow at 12.30pm.

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