The family of a Tayside man, who has died at the age of 53, has paid tribute to the work he did to help keep young people off the streets.
Murray David, from Kirriemuir, who worked as an installations engineer for Virgin Media in Dundee, died of lung cancer after a two-year battle.
His family said they hope he will be remembered for his dedication to the young people of the town.
Son Marc, 25, said: “Dad was an inspiration and I hope his work will be carried on in his memory.
“He was always aware that there isn’t very much for young people to do in the town and decided to do something about it.
“He decided that rather than allowing young people to complain there was nothing to do that he would try to motivate them to do something about it and he led by example.”
Marc said Murray was instrumental in setting up a youth group in the town.
It was around 10 years ago that Murray first began investigating the possibility of turning an old bank building in the town into a youth centre, which was named The Vault.
“It was very important to Dad to try to get something off the ground and, along with others, he worked hard to get something established,” said Marc.
“Dad was really good at getting others involved.
“It was partly thanks to his motivational drive that a centre was eventually established.”
Sadly, the centre wasn’t open for long when the behaviour of some youngsters resulted in it being closed down.
Marc said: “That was really disappointing for Dad but he never gave up and right up until the spring of this year he was still working to get it re-opened.”
Murray, who grew up in Kirriemuir, was first diagnosed with lung cancer around two-and-a-half years ago.
Initially, he responded well to treatment, but recently his illness deteriorated quickly and he died on Saturday September 26.
As well as being involved in the youth group, Murray had also been a strong supporter of Kirriemuir’s DD8 music group.
“Dad never let it get him down and he was always upbeat and positive”, said Marc.
“All through the latter stages of his illness his character never changed and he always managed to make a joke out of the worst situations.
“I hope Dad is remembered for the work he did for the young people of Kirrie and for his willingness to always get involved.
“He never really grew up and always believed he was still one of the young people he was trying to help.
“A brilliant legacy would be if other people in the town continued to work hard to get The Vault off the ground again.
“He was never prepared to give up and I hope others in Kirrie don’t either.”
Murray is also survived by his wife Denise, who has a hairdressing salon, and his 22-year-old daughter Cara.