Tributes have been pouring in for a popular volunteer and avid football fan following his unexpected death at the age of 26.
James Charlton was honoured for his outstanding voluntary work on behalf of his beloved football club, Darlington FC, in 2013.
The lifelong supporter was named the town's Young Citizen of the Year in recognition of his fundraising efforts after the club went into administration.
Go here for more County Durham news and updates from County Durham Live
And he had earlier been named the town's Volunteer of the Year at a separate awards ceremony, TeessideLive reports.
James' death in London has led to hundreds of tributes being sent to his parents – Steve Charlton, who recently retired as one of the town's longest-serving GPs, and Carol Charlton, who serves as chair of St Teresa's Hospice.
Carol said: "James was an incredibly caring person, and it was in his nature to want to help others.
"He packed such a lot into his 26 years, and the overwhelming number of tributes we’ve received shows how popular and respected he was."
Steve added: "We are incredibly proud of everything James achieved in his life.
"He had a lifelong passion for Darlington Football Club, and it was very special when he was recognised as the town’s Young Citizen of the Year."
Tributes included a message from former Darlington FC manager, Martin Gray, who said: "I can't imagine what his family are going through, and my heart goes out to them. James couldn't do enough for the club – he was Mr Darlington.
"He was an amazing volunteer. All football clubs need a James Charlton."
James attended St Augustine's Primary School, Carmel College, and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, before studying biomedical science at King’s College, in London, where he was student ambassador. He had been working as a retail manager after university.
He attended his first Darlington match with his parents when he was just weeks old. He was then taken to Wembley to see The Quakers play Plymouth in the Third Division play-off final in 1996 when he was six-months-old.
When the club went into administration in 2012, James threw himself into organising bucket collections.
He also organised the ball boys' rota, cleared litter from the terraces after matches, cleaned the dressing room, and helped sell memorabilia on the club's market stall.
On Saturday, Darlington Football Club held a minute's silence in James' honour.
James was also a qualified referee, having started his training at 15, and officiated in youth leagues on Teesside.
He carried on refereeing after moving to London, and served in the Camden and Islington youth leagues, where he was also fixtures secretary and referees secretary.
"He always saw the social value of refereeing, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he helped thousands of youngsters from diverse backgrounds to play football, rather than be on the streets," said Carol.
James also refereed in the Schwan's Cup, a world youth football tournament in Minneapolis.
He had been a volunteer at St Teresa's Hospice, as well as a qualified St John Ambulance volunteer. More recently, he travelled to France to help refugees with the Care 4 Calais charity.
James had a sister, Katherine, and brother, Robert. He was also a proud uncle to Katherine’s children, George and Mary.
Funeral arrangements are not yet known.
