TRIBUTES have been paid to a "pillar of the community" who was instrumental in organising Brighton Pride for more than 20 years.

Terry Wing, a doorman and dedicated volunteer at Brighton and Hove Pride, who previously ran the parade at the event, died of cancer on Monday.

His involvement in the community ranged from launching the Regency division of St John Ambulance in Brighton in the early 90s to working as a security guard at a range of clubs and events in Sussex, including Lewes Bonfire.

Terry was also involved with helping the Sussex Beacon and was a committed fundraiser for St John Ambulance.

His daughter Ceri Gordon said:"I'm so proud of him and all the kindness that he put into helping so many people over the years.

The Argus: Terry Wing, who has died of cancerTerry Wing, who has died of cancer

"He took massive pride in himself and was such a popular guy. I only got the opportunity to get to know him later in my life but am so grateful for those years.

"I could see so much of myself in him. I'm just devastated it's come to an end."

Ceri said her father had been put in an orphanage at the age of six after his parents separated.

She added: "I think partly that life experience made him such a wonderful giving person.

"I'm received hundreds of heartwarming messages since he died."

Scott Pettit, who worked with Terry at Pryzm nightclub in Brighton, said he had "a heart of gold".

Scott said: "Terry was like a grandad to me. He was a doorman at Pryzm and he got me into security work, teaching me everything he knew.

"One of the biggest things in his life was St John Ambulance. He ran a whole fleet in Brighton and had quite a force behind him.

The Argus:

"Terry was one of the most caring people, and such a laugh."

Terry grew up in Sutton and trained to become a registered nurse and mental health nurse, but he also spent many years working in security.

He moved to Brighton in 1985 and began to manage the parade at Brighton and Hove Pride in the 1990s.

He continued to be involved with the event under various leaderships as parade director for about 25 years, and in 2014 received an award for delivering the biggest parade the city had seen over the previous two years.

Terry was also a long-term contributor to Gscene magazine, providing "acerbic and hilarious" contributions, according to the publication.

Several tributes have been paid to Terry on social media since his death.

Steve Bray wrote on Twitter: "Terry was definitely one of life's characters.

"Going to Brighton Pride and meeting up with him for a bag of chips will be sadly missed. RIP."

Paramedic Graham Clark wrote: "Rest peacefully to my dear friend Terry Wing. Great loss to Brighton and to all those privileged to have known him."

Others described Terry as "legendary" and "a pillar of the community".

Brighton and Hove Pride said in a tweet: "Very sad to hear Terry Wing has lost his battle with cancer.

"He was a dedicated Pride volunteer from the early days, managing the Community Parade.

"Our condolences and love go to his family, friends and St John Ambulance colleagues."