Tributes have been paid to a much-loved community hero.
Clem Pettitt was a volunteer who helped found the Friends of Norris Green community group and worked tirelessly to keep the area looking pristine. The 85-year-old sadly died on March 20 and, since then, people have taken to social media to pay heartfelt tributes to the devoted grandad who "touched the lives of everyone around him".
Speaking to the ECHO, his granddaughter Sian Dowdeswell described how much of a character Clem was before he died of lung cancer last month. She said: "Clem was a figure of the community, he was a father, husband, grandfather, uncle but most a man of the people and a true inspiration.
READ MORE: First look inside former Beehive pub after major rebrand
"He always had a can-do attitude, he was a loving and caring man that stood for what was right even if it meant ruffling a few feathers. He never gave up on what he believed in.
"The love and support that has come from the family and also the community has been overwhelming. It is only once a person passes you realise the impact that they have had on so many individuals. We feel proud to be able to say that we are his family."
Now, Helen Ball is raising money to get a memorial bench installed in Norris Green Park. Writing on the JustGiving page, she said: "As many of our followers will know, our good friend Clem Pettitt, Norris Green campaigner and co-founder of FoNGP sadly passed away recently.
"With the permission of Clem's family, we have launched this crowd funder to raise money toward the cost of buying & installing a memorial bench in the park to celebrate Clem's life and provide a quiet place of contemplation where we can all come to remember him, his work to save & improve the park, and the wider work and campaigning he did for the people and our community of Norris Green."
Speaking about how thankful she is for the outpouring of affection, Sian said: "We are over the moon that his bench fundraiser met its target goal in less than a week and we are now able to go ahead with the installation of a bench in his honour in Norris Green Park where he spent a lot of his time volunteering.
"We feel so thankful to the staff at Aintree University Hospital for their amazing care and also to all of his co-workers and friends at Friends of Norris Green Park who put together the fundraiser in honour of Clem’s life."
To donate to the JustGiving page, click here.
READ NEXT:
The 24 most wanted men in the UK as police issue 'do not approach' warning
Social care worker had 'relationship' with teenage boy in her care
Woman's windows rattled after hearing 'two explosions' from home
Killer who tried to burn cousin's body appeals murder conviction seven years later
