TRIBUTES have flooded in for hero fundraiser Billy Birch who died on Sunday.

The 76-year-old raised more than £113,000 over the past 26 years in memory of his beloved late wife Sylvia.

Billy fought valiantly after being placed on life-support at the Countess of Chester Hospital almost two weeks ago.

He had suffered multiple organ failure during surgery on his bowel, and the family agreed with doctors’ advice to turn off his life-support machine on Sunday night.

Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders was among the first to lead the tributes to Billy, who had achieved celebrity status in his home town of Ellesmere Port.

He said: “I was very sad to hear that Billy Birch passed away last night after a short illness. He was in the Countess and surrounded by his family.

“He will be remembered by the people of Ellesmere Port for his tireless fundraising activities and for his sense of humour. He raised over £113,000 for local good causes and it was a great honour to unveil a plaque at the Civic Hall recognising his fund-raising efforts.

“It was typical of his personality that he wanted it to be shared with the people and businesses of the town, who have given so generously over many years.

“He was recognised many times for his charity works and in the last couple of weeks I heard that he was to receive a national honour. Very sadly, this news came in too late for him to be told.”

Billy raised a small fortune for the Countess of Chester Hospital as a thanks to medics who saved his life following a serious workplace accident in 1991.

Mr Madders added: “Billy worked for Ken Whale builders until he had a serious accident in June 1991, which left him fighting for his life in intensive care. He was in a coma for three weeks and when he recovered, he was so grateful to the staff at the Countess for their efforts that he decided to start fundraising, initially raising £1,000 for new equipment at the hospital.”

Lesley Woodhead, head of fundraising, said: “The Countess of Chester Hospital and Ellesmere Port Hospital have benefited greatly from the fundraising undertaken by Billy Birch. This has allowed us to provide better facilities for our patients.

“He was known personally by many staff at the hospitals and will be greatly missed. The hospital is fortunate to be a part of the community and to have such great support across Chester and Ellesmere Port.”

Most recently, Billy has been raising funds for Chester-based charity Deafness Support Network (DSN).

CEO Bob Birchall said: “Billy was a really good friend of DSN and most of all he was a really great friend to the deaf community in Cheshire. His work with the youth service was second to none – donating and raising funds for such important equipment and we will always be grateful for his efforts.

“The whole idea of charity is giving and that is what Billy was all about – giving, with every ounce of his energy.

“He was a wonderful guy and will be missed by all of us.”

Lee Challinor, a prominent fundraiser in Blacon, also paid tribute to Billy on behalf of the Blacon Community Support Fund.

He said: “Such sad news. Billy would have helped someone that we all know through the organisations he supported. The wider community owes such a lot to Billy on building such a legacy of putting others first. I hope that the foundations that Billy laid will continue in his name. Sending all our condolences to his family from all at Blacon Community Support Fund.”