A community stalwart who raised thousands of pounds for good causes in the Towns has died after a battle with cancer.

Ken Finnis, passed away at his home in Rochester, on Thursday, March 29, after battling lung cancer.

Mr Finnis, 82, spent years fundraising for good causes and sick children and was a well known figure in the Medway Towns.

His ability to gather support for the causes he chose to raise money for, saw him walk for miles across the Towns to encourage pubs and businesses and their customers to raise money to help sick youngsters.

Mr Finnis also supported the former CPC Centre (Cerebral Palsy Care) in Cliffe Woods before it closed down.

He would organise Christmas parties, boat trips and other fun days out for youngsters and if a child needed a specialist bit of equipment, he would make it his mission to raise money for that cause.

Mr Finnis would organise sponsored walks, Easter egg raffles and more and once stripped off to feature in a fundraising calender and was photographed holding a sausage, wearing just an apron.

He joined the Medway Lions Club in 1994 and became part of the community service team but when the club folded several years later, he took up the reins of another charity set up by the club to support sick children, CWLTI (Children With Life Threatening Illnesses).

Even in his later years, Mr Finnis was still passionate about the charity and walked miles and miles as part of a team completing sponsored walks for the cause.

Ken leaves behind his wife Sandra and his children Sharon and Stuart, grandchildren, Julie and Sarah, and great, great grandchildren, Tamzin, Leah, Demi and Harvey.

Mr Finnis' funeral service will be held at Medway Crematorium, in Robin Hood Lane, Blue Bell Hill, Chatham, on Tuesday, May 1, at 2.15pm.

Family flowers only but donations if desired can be made to Medway the CWLTI fund, The Magpie Trust or Holding On Letting Go and may be sent to the Co-op Funeralcare, 65 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4EE, or call 01634 844288.

Mike Shaw, a former Medway Lions Club member and friend paid tribute to Mr Finnis.

He said: "Ken was a man in a million.

"Through Ken and CWLTI there were Christmas parties in Medway Hospital, special life memory boxes for terminally ill children, summer events, specialist equipment and trips out for sick children.

"Some of the visits to meet the families and the sick children had quite a physical and mental effect on him but he just carried on, it was like he was on a mission.

"The Lions have a slogan ordinary people doing amazing things and Ken was one of those doing amazing things."

Lynn Cox, Medway Messenger reporter also paid tribute to Mr Finnis.

She said: "Ken was a kind, generous man and never got tired of raising money for good causes.

"I know many community groups and charities in the Towns he championed will miss his unwavering support.

"I will miss him too, I wrote about him many times over the years and we had a great friendship and many, many laughs and good times.