A PASSIONATE hill walker who was found on Darwen Moors died ‘doing what he loved’, his partner said.

Dave Wiggans, 50, was found by a fell runner in the Duckshaw Brook area near to Lords Hall, with dog Zak beside him.

It is believed he collapsed after suffering heart failure.

The Dial-a-Ride driver regularly went walking on his own, or with partner Linda Sears, best friend Dave Atkinson, or son John.

Last year he and Dave, 41, climbed Ben Nevis and Scarfell Pike in two days, and had also completed three coast-to-coast rides from Whitehaven to Sunderland since 1999.

Linda, 59, said: “He loved the Lake District and also Darwen Moors. He liked how quiet it is up there and out of the way.

“That day I didn’t go with him when he took Zak, and when I came home at 5.45pm I just thought he was running late.

“But as time went on I started to worry, and went to Tockholes to see if his car was in the carpark. When I saw it was, my heart sank and I knew then something bad had happened.”

Linda rang Dave’s brothers to help her find him on the moors on Thursday, April 7, but while she was waiting for them to arrive at her home in Shorrock Lane, Blackburn, police officers turned up to tell her the news.

Doctors have told the family that Dave died of heart failure brought on by cholesterol narrowing the arteries.

Linda added: “We always said that when me, Dave and Zak died we wanted all of our ashes scattering in the mountains in the Lakes. There is some comfort in knowing that he died doing something he loved.”

Linda, who works at Crown Paints in Darwen, added: “He was such a good man and was happy nine times out of 10. He never let anything really trouble him.”

Dave was born in Withnell Fold and then moved to Feniscowles. He was educated at Feniscowles County Primary School and St Wilfred’s High School.

He leaves mother Eunice, father Clifford, brothers Michael, Kenneth and John, sister Margaret, partner Linda, son John, and Linda’s grandchildren Macy, 4, and Katie, 14.

Hundreds of pounds in donations was raised at his funeral for the North West Air Ambulance and the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team.