TRIBUTES have poured in for former Swindon mayor Rex Barnett after he died of lung cancer.

The 74-year-old Haydon Wick councillor, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the end of his mayoral year in 2011, died at Great Western Hospital on Tuesday.

During his time as mayor, Rex raised an impressive £68,000 for his three chosen charities – Prospect Hospice, the Willows Counselling Service and the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Movement (CALM). A further 11 charities and good causes also benefitted from that total.

Rex’s wife of 52 years, Sandra, said: “He absolutely loved being mayor. I think he would have gone on being mayor for the rest of his life if he could have.

“He just loved meeting people and he loved everything he could bring to people.

“If people wanted him at events he wanted to be there and we would always be the last to leave. He just put everything into it.”

Rex was first elected as a councillor in Penhill and Gorse Hill in the late 1960s.

He served as a Swindon and Wiltshire councillor in the late 1960s and early 1970s until pressure of work forced him to stand down.

In 2007, he became a councillor for Haydon Wick.

“He just enjoyed helping people, he thrived on it,” said Sandra.

“If people phoned him and wanted help he just got his teeth into it and helped.

He did so much during the floods in Haydon Wick in 2007. When we walk around Haydon Wick people still come out and say thank you.

“I can’t tell you how many times we walked the brook checking if it was flooding and taking photographs.”

Rex, who attended Rodbourne Cheney Infant School and Pinehurst Junior and Senior School in his early years, started his working life as a gas fitting and plumbing apprentice at the GWR Swindon Works for five years.

It was during that time that he met Sandra at The Majestic and they later tied the knot at All Saints Church. The couple have two daughters, Sara and Alison, as well as four grandchildren.

“He was amazing. I always felt safe with him and he always put my best interests at heart,” said Sandra.

“We did so much together. He’s my husband and I love him and he’s a fantastic father and grandfather.”

Sandra said Rex always remained positive after his diagnosis and during chemotherapy treatment.

“I just thank god that he lived two-and-a-quarter years after that diagnosis, which looked bleak at the beginning,” she said.

“He had a year of good quality life. In November they said it was progressing again and he had more chemotherapy.

“He didn’t know he was going to die until he went into hospital. He was still on the computer saying he could help anybody. If anybody rang him he would always do what he could. He was so positive and it didn’t ever occur to him that the treatment wouldn’t work.”

A CHAMPION WHO WILL BE SORELY MISSED

REX BARNETT raised thousands of pounds for charities across the town.

During his time as mayor, he collected more money than any mayor had ever raised and donated funds to his chosen charities Prospect Hospice, CALM and Willows Counselling Service.He also donated to other charities in Swindon.

Angela Jordan, chief executive at Prospect Hospice, said: “I am greatly saddened by the news that Rex Barnett has died. I first got to know Rex shortly after I arrived at Prospect Hospice, which was in his mayoral year, and through the year got to know both him and Sandra well. Rex was a deeply caring and committed man, dedicated to serving his community, and for whom supporting Prospect Hospice mattered greatly.

“During his mayoral year, Rex was tireless in his determination to raise funds for local charities, including Prospect Hospice, and we shall always be very grateful for the funds that his incredible efforts yielded during the year.

“Rex will be greatly missed by many of us at Prospect Hospice, and our thoughts are with Sandra and the family at this sad time. ”

Mike Fisher, executive director of Willows Counselling Service, said: “Rex was an incredible support and encouragement to the work of Willows Counselling Service. He supported us in getting a new centre and we were one of his chosen charities in his mayoral year when he raised an extraordinary amount.

“He and Sandra along with Kathleen and Barrie Smith became members of the friends of Willows Counselling Service committee where they did fantastic work in fundraising and promoting the importance of counselling as something that can change lives.

“Rex will be deeply missed by everyone in Willows Counselling Service and will be a great loss in our lives.”

Richard Crowley, chairman of CALM, said: “Whenever we saw Rex he was smiling and joking. There was always lots of laughter when Rex was about.

“I first met Rex at our CALM golf day in 2009 when he was deputy mayor. He said he was going to make us one of his charities in his year as mayor and he stayed true to his word.

“Rex was one of those people who was so lovely and so nice but was always great at getting people to help out and get involved.

“He raised more than £15,000 for us during his year as mayor and continued to support us after his mayoral year ended.”