Long-serving coastguard and Scout leader Dave Stow has died aged 64 after a battle with cancer.

Mr Stow devoted his spare time to saving people in trouble, and shaping young lives through his two interests.

He came from a Cromer family and had a career in facilities management - first for Norwich Union for 30 years, then for the Royal Bank of Scotland - retiring in 2009 at the age of 60.

But through his working life he was a well-known figure in the local community through his uniformed voluntary duties.

Mr Stow was an auxiliary coastguard for 40 years, having been inspired by watching the local crew in action as a boy - and went on to be station officer for Cromer for 30 years,

He was always keen to be in the forefront of the action, such as cliff rescues.

The team won The Rescue Shield award given by the MCA for helping to recover a man who had fallen 50ft down the cliffs at Mundesley in January 2003 - a rescue operation carried out at night in terrible winter conditions.

His widow Gillian said: 'He was not one to stand on the sidelines. He loved getting involved, and was a was a compassionate and caring man - who wanted to know what had happened to the people they rescued.'

Last year Mr Stow was awarded a Cromer Honour by the town council for his coastguard service. Mr Stow's other love was Scouting - an interest also stretching back more than 40 years. He became an assistant Scout leader at Cromer Sea Scouts in 1968 and went on to become Group Scout Leader at 1st Rural, where he was heavily involved in raising funds to refurbish its Roughton Mill headquarters.

In 2011 he was given a bar to add to his silver acorn award gained five years earlier.

Scouting colleague James Kearns said Mr Stow was 'a genuine inspiration and motivation to the people who came into contact with him.'

Mr Stow was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer 20 months ago, and juggled his chemotherapy treatment to enable him to attend a royal garden party at Sandringham last year.

He died in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on September 24, also leaving a daughter Emma and stepson Adam along with a granddaughter Amelie.

Coastguard and Scout officials will be among those attending a funeral service on Thursday October 3 at Cromer parish church at 1pm. Donations to 1st Rural Roughton Mill Scout Group through Cromer and District Funeral Services, West Street, Cromer.