PEOPLE have turned out to say farewell to a young Darlington FC superfan following his sudden death.
James Charlton, who was known for his voluntary work on behalf of his beloved football club and was previously Darlington’s Young Citizen of the Year, died on January 26, aged 26.
His funeral was held today at St Augustine’s Church, in Darlington.
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People turned out this afternoon to bid farewell to James, whose death in London has led to hundreds of tributes being sent to his parents Steve and Carol Charlton.
The service was led by Father David Russell and the eulogy given by Peter Barron.
Paying tribute to James’ compassion, kindness, care and empathy, as well as his infectious sense of fun, Mr Barron said: “In nearly 40 years as a journalist in this area, I honestly can’t remember a bigger outpouring of affection and respect than there’s been for James over the past couple of weeks.
“It’s been quite extraordinary – just like he was – and I know it’s brought his loved ones a great deal of comfort to know how much he was loved and admired.
“Having spoken to James’s family over the past few days, and read the tributes that have flooded in, I could honestly have written a book – but I can only scratch the surface and try to do justice to a truly special young man.”
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 was a passionate Darlington FC fan, having attended his first match when he was just weeks old and went to Wembley for the play offs aged six months.
When the club went into administration in 2021, he threw himself into organising bucket collections, and continued in his dedication to volunteering at the club with clearing litter from the terraces, selling memorabilia from its market stall, cleaning the dressing room and organising the ball boys’ rota.
James was also a qualified referee, having started his training at 15, and officiated in youth leagues on Teesside as well as in London.
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.
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James had a sister, Katherine, and brother, Robert and was uncle to George and Mary.
Almost £3,000 has been raised in James’ memory, which will go towards some of the charities he support.
For further details, or to donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jcharlton
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