TRIBUTE has been paid to one of Tilbury's most popular figures.

Peter Hewitt, MBE, died in the early hours of Thursday morning (7 May), passing away peacefully at Basildon Hospital.

During his working days Peter was an Essex Police dog handler and was well-known in Tilbury the place he loved.

In the 1990s Peter had a vision to make Tilbury alive again,so he gathered some other keen volunteers and formed Tilbury Riverside Project.

In 1997 Peter introduced the Tilbury festival which was a great success and ran for many years.

In 1998 he brought the Christmas lights back to Tilbury and in 2001 Peter was awarded the first ever Thurrock Citizen of the Year award for his efforts to help the Tilbury community.

That led to the award of the MBE in 2001.

Peter was a long time chair of the Tilbury Riverside Project and another stalwart of that organisation is Les Morgan who paid tribute to his friend, saying: "I could go and on about the achievements of Peter but I would be writing for hours.

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"Our thoughts go out to wife Irene and his wonderful family, and he will be sadly missed, but through his beloved Tilbury Riverside Project his dreams will go on.

"So God bless you Pete and sort out the Christmas Christmas lights in Heaven."

Thurrock Nub News editor Neil Speight followed Peter in the role of chair of the Tilbury Riverside Project and said: "I arrived in Thurrock in 2004 and Peter was one of the first people I met. His passion and enthusiasm for Tilbury was incredible and he was the most likeable of men.

"It is the measure of the man that in recent years when he was able to get out, if you approached him he would be immediately apologetic. He would explain that he was suffering from dementia and that he might not remember you.

"He wasn't doing it for himself, he wanted to spare people embarrassment, putting others first - which I understand he did all his life.

"He was a remarkable man and will be much missed."