The family of a head chef who suddenly died at a popular beach bar has paid tribute to their "loving father, son and brother".
Matt Halford, 38, was found collapsed inside the walk-in chiller of The Watering Hole pub at Perranporth Beach in Cornwall last Saturday morning.
Despite the efforts of paramedics, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Matt had worked at The Watering Hole - which is famed for being the UK's only bar on a beach - since he was a teenager, alongside his two brothers Jason and Lee, and dad Mick.
His heartbroken mum, Joanne Ballinger, described him as a "hard worker" who was "vivacious" and "full of life" as she said the family is still trying to process his loss.
She told MailOnline: "Matthew was caring, he was a loving father, son and brother. He would put anybody first and help anybody he possibly could. He was a hard worker but he liked to play hard too.
"He played for Cornwall at basketball. He was vivacious, full of life and you would always know when he was around because you would hear him.
"We are still trying to process his loss. It doesn't feel real and we haven't heard anything about why so we are waiting for that."
She said that Matt was putting a delivery away with his colleague Max when he headed to the chiller.
After realising he had been gone a while, Max went to check on him and found him collapsed on the floor.
The beach bar's owner then attempted to carry out CPR and locals rallied together to bring out defibrillators, but it was sadly too late.
Joanne said her son was a fit and healthy man who didn't smoke, never took drugs and had stopped drinking.
The death is not being treated as suspicious and the family stressed that nobody was at fault.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police previously said: "Emergency services were called at around 9.30am to Perranporth Beach following reports of concern for the welfare of a man.
"The man, in his 30s, was confirmed deceased at the scene.
"His next of kin have been informed. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner."
In an emotional tribute shared to social media, The Watering Hole described Matt as "the best dad, friend, brother and worker this place will ever see".
It said: "With iconic legendary places that are larger than life like the watering hole, these places are made by iconic legendary characters and unfortunately we lost our MVP on Saturday.
"We always thought the most feared day would be washing away for us, but how wrong were we. We lost the best dad, friend, brother and worker this place will ever see & it's not easy saying this, but we will never find anyone like this again.
"Matt had worked at the watering hole all of his life, with his brothers Lee & Jason & 3 sons who have been there all of their life. Along with their dad Mick aka Mad dog who was a character to say the least.
"He was not just a huge part of the watering hole, he was the watering hole, the life & soul of everything that happened and would do anything for anyone.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Matt's family & friends as we know a lot of people are going to be hurting. The Watering hole family will stick together as that's what he would want.
"We love you mate and can't quite believe what has happened. Perranporth has lost its best man and captain."
A JustGiving page has been set up to help finish works on a house that Matt had been working hard to self-renovate, and has raised over £5,200 at the time of writing.
His eldest son, Jaden Cole, wrote on the fundraiser: "The reason behind this Crowdfunding is to help raise as much money as me and my family can to help finish off the house that my Dad worked so hard to self renovate.
"The house was coming on exactly how dad wanted it to be and he still had massive plans but on Saturday 18th March 2023 me and my family received the tragic news that dad had suddenly passed away.
"Life will never be the same without Dad. He was a huge character who you would hear from a mile away! The one person anyone could go to and he would give his all to help and support you; from family and friends to work colleagues, he always just knew the right thing to say.
"I cannot fathom the outpouring of love our family has received and this shows how much my dad meant to so many people and how many lives he touched.
"Although we will have a hole in our hearts forever, he will never ever be forgotten. He has left behind a strong family who will always stick together and make him proud everyday.
"Thank you to each and every person who has offered love and support, your kindness will always be with us."
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
