A TOWN in mourning today paid tribute to the man who has done so much for its people.

Politicians, businessmen and friends all spoke of the impact Jack Walker has had through business and his beloved Rovers.

And although he is gone, all spoke of the lasting gift he has left to the town.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Malcolm Doherty said it was a sad day for the football club and the town.

"You only have to go down to look at Ewood Park for a monument to what Jack has done.

"He was quite simply Mr Blackburn Rovers.

"He also created a great deal of employment in the town and with the Walker Park helped create many more jobs long after he left the town."

Blackburn with Darwen Mayor Councillor Jack Bury said he was shocked at the news.

"It's certainly a big loss and he will be missed by a lot of people," he said.

"Jack Walker was such a big benefactor for Blackburn and I've never heard people say anything detrimental to his character.

"Sadness will befall Blackburn having lost a person who thought so much about football and the people of the town."

Retired businessman and now Blackburn hospitals trust chairman Ian Woolley said Jack was "always full of fun and good company".

And he said he was probably the most generous man the town had seen.

"His generosity to causes in Blackburn was probably without equal.

"He was extremely generous to many organisations often completely anonymously.

"His business achievements were second to none. He was a Blackburn man through and through but lived an international business life."

Former schoolfriend Ken Brooks, a fellow 11-plus failure who also became a businessman and now lives in America, remembers Jack as an average pupil academically but someone who was prepared to stick up for himself.

"We had a teacher called Mr Fairclough who was a strict disciplinarian and had a thick oak stick hanging on the blackboard that he was not afraid to use."

At the end of school one day, Jack and his fellow pupils still had work to finish when the bell went.

"Normally the teacher would tell you to put your books away and you could leave but this day Mr Fairclough walked up and down between the desks to ensure that we kept writing.

"After a few minutes, when we all had our heads down scribbling away, one voice popped up and asked 'Sir, can we put our books in our bags?' It was Jack Walker.

"He was the only lad in 40 12-year-olds who had the fortitude to stand up and ask Mr Fairclough such a question.

"Jack obviously had an innate drive, self-confidence and business acumen that allowed him to be so successful.

"To come from such a working class background and humble education and achieve what he did is remarkable."

"It is a great loss for the town because however rich and powerful Jack became he was still proud of his home town and his heritage and was not afraid to say so.

"What he has done for the Rovers is immeasurable."

David Brown, of Graham & Brown - a businessman in Blackburn at the same time as the rapid growth of Walkersteel and a former chairman of Blackburn Rovers - said: "Jack and Fred Walker built a wonderful business which brought great benefits to so many people.

"Throughout the country their name became synonymous with the town of Blackburn and this was a fact they never forgot.

"When Jack, who had always been a keen Rovers supporter, took control of the club he was able to put his sound business acumen and substantial financial resources into taking the club into the biggest league in the world.

"Winning the Premiership was an achievement no Rovers fan will ever forget.

"He has left us with a wonderful stadium and training facilities second to none: a permanent reminder that we had a very special benefactor."