HE was the man who “brightened everybody’s Christmas up”.

Tributes have been paid to “wonderful and caring” Roger Tingay, 73, who died on Sunday after a short battle with cancer.

The Bournemouth man was well-known in the community for his spectacular Christmas lights display at his home in Clingan Road, which raised more than £40,000 over the years for children’s hospice Julia’s House.

His wife Brenda said the couple would have been married 50 years in September and praised her “soulmate” who “always did so much work for charity”.

“He would start putting up the Christmas lights in October to ensure the display was ready for Christmas. There would be around 30,000 lights and the highest ones were 50ft above the ground,” she said.

“You could have up to 600 children coming along on Christmas Eve.

“We had soap opera stars come for the switch-on, such as Jack Ryder and Adele Silva, and the paralympic athlete Darren Kenny.

Harry Redknapp, a supporter of Julia’s House, also made an appearance one year. The former Cherries boss said: “Roger brightened everybody’s Christmas up. He made a great effort. He was a lovely man who raised so much money for charity, and I was only too pleased to support him.

“He’ll be missed by everyone, especially at Christmas.”

Roger had three children, Jennifer, Deborah and Brian, and two grandchildren, George and Lily. He worked as a Post Office manager before retiring.

Outside the festive season, the couple enjoyed salsa dancing – a hobby which saw them travel annually to Cuba.

“We did so much together,” Brenda added. “He was the best man in the world.”

Roger’s funeral takes place at 2.30pm on Thursday, February 11, at Bournemouth Crematorium.