A prolific fundraiser and former Express & Star print worker has died aged 71.

Tributes were today paid to Bill Jones, who spent his entire 48-year career at the newspaper, rising from a junior role in hot metal typesetting to composing room manager, before his retirement in 2002.

His passion for amateur dramatics saw Mr Jones, of Wolverhampton, found the Cancer Research Players’ charity with his wife Pauline in 1980.

The 200-strong group went on to raise more than £1 million for charity with shows at the city’s Civic Hall, Grand Theatre and latterly the Royal Albert Hall. He died last Wednesday as a result of brain tumours. He was at home with his family in Coppice Road, Finchfield, where he had lived for much of his life. Just a few weeks earlier he had celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary.

He is survived by wife Pauline, 69, sons Chris, 38, Mike, 40, and four grandchildren.

Mrs Jones, known as Verna Mann in the players’ group, said: “He was so wonderful. He performed, he worked, he did everything — and he backed me up in everything I did. He worked so hard and he was so brave. The doctors said he had six months and he lasted for seven years. We had a great 50 years together.”

Mr Jones, who attended Bingley School in Wolverhampton before joining the Express & Star aged 15, had successfully fought both prostate and kidney cancer, the latter of which he first contracted a year after retirement.

Son Mike, of Tettenhall, a former financial adviser who is retraining as a teacher, said: “He had a kidney removed and was given six months to live after retiring. But he was a fighter, one of life’s doers, and in the end he was very grateful to have had those extra years to get to know his grandchildren.

“Even at the end he was given hours to live but it was eight days before he was finally worn out. He was gregarious, a family man at home and at work. He wasn’t materialistic but just wanted a nice house and a garden, which he got.”

Over the years, Mr Jones, who was affectionately known to his colleagues as Ginger Bill, was  an active sportsman. His funeral is at St Philip’s Church, Penn Fields, at 12 noon, on Friday, October 8, followed by cremation at Bushbury.