A Sussex pensioner who became British weightlifting champion for the over-70s has died, aged 87.

Ernie Trory, of Portland Avenue, in Hove, did not start weight training until he was 40, but his career blossomed after that.

Ironically, he moved to Sussex from London, where he was born, because of concerns about his health when he was a child.

Mr Trory was a man of many parts.

He won several medals from philatelic societies for his fine and unusual stamp collections.

For many years, he swam every day in the sea and made a point of celebrating his birthday in January with a dip.

Mr Trory's main interest was Left-wing politics.

He formed his own company to publish a series of books and articles.

Among them was a book on the poet Shelley - who had Sussex connections - which he finished in 1946 but did not publish until 43 years later.

He described himself as a Marxist and once told the Argus: "The international working class are my heroes because they will eventually emancipate the whole of mankind."

Mr Trory, who died at Brighton General Hospital after suffering heart failure, leaves a widow, Joyce, two sons (a third died before him), grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Mrs Trory said: "His life was really dedicated to his politics and he was a Communist.

"But he also had other interests and was a very fit man."

A funeral service will be held at the Downs Crematorium in Brighton on Monday at noon.