THE man responsible for building a thousand-strong digital photo archive of Darwen has died, aged 49.

Bri Lomax was part of the Darwen Days team that has put together a huge library of photographs and artefacts from Darwen’s past and present.

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But Mr Lomax, who suffered from mental health problems, died earlier this month leaving behind his long-term fiancee Sharon Whitehead and daughters Charlie, 12, and Courtney, 19.

Sharon, who had known Mr Lomax since she was just eight years old, paid tribute to a ‘really good dad’ who thought the world of his two girls.

She said: “He was quite funny but people thought he was being serious because that’s how he came across to people who didn’t know him.

“He was really kind-hearted and was amazing with the girls. He could not do enough for them.

“He had a lot of friends. Courtney and Charlie didn’t realise just how many until they saw the turnout at the funeral on Friday. “Bri would have been amazed at how many people were there. He did not know he was so well loved.

“He was definitely a man’s man but he was also very loving towards me and the girls.”

Mr Lomax was born in Blackburn but lived in Darwen all his life, most recently in Birch Hall Avenue, and had worked at office furniture manufacturers Mercol in Ratcliffe Street for several years.

In his youth he attended St Cuthbert’s Primary and Darwen Vale High schools and as well as photography was passionate about gardening, spending time with his cats and taking the family dog for walks.

Sharon said Mr Lomax had thoroughly enjoyed working with Darwen Days founders Dave and Marie Owen.

She said: “He had seen it on Facebook when he was not working because he was unwell and he started taking photos and commenting on things about Darwen.

“He has always enjoyed taking photos and he started just using his phone and then Dave and Marie got him a camera, which was really good of them.

“He loved photographs of anything and did a lot of experimenting with it “Bri also loved Darwen.

“And he enjoyed looking for old streets and factories that don’t exist any more and taking pictures of what is there now.”

“He used to go out with the old maps of the town.

“People from Darwen who lived abroad would come on and ask him for a picture of their old street and he would go off and get it.

“He loved to hear the feedback.”