Tribute to kindhearted great-grandfather who dedicated his final years to bringing people comfort by carving and handing out thousands of miniature wooden crosses

Jim Roberts, who was born at Laygate, South Shields in 1932, had been a choir boy and remained a devout Methodist throughout his life.

The great-grandfather, who lived in Washington in his later years, began his professional life as a naval architect, before he turned to mining - eventually becoming director of the National Coal Board.

When he returned to the North East, having been based for some number of years in Lincolnshire, his family says a lifelong interest in woodwork developed into carving miniature crosses that “turned into a real passion of his”.

"When he retired, he came straight back up north – which is where he belongs,” said granddaughter Amanda Wooldridge.

"He already did a lot of woodwork with kids with disabilities – making toys, model kitchens, all sorts of things, really. But it was about 10 years ago that he started to make crosses out of scraps of wood.

"He’d use scraps of wood he had in his garage. There’d be 12 notches he’d singe into the side of the crosses to represent the 12 disciples.

"And they ended up all over the world – they’ve ended up in New Zealand, Norway, and on the graves of the unknown [World War] soldiers in France and Belgium.”

According to Ms Wooldridge, Jim made more than 1,000 of the crosses during the pandemic, bringing them to care facilities near his home.

The director of Northumberland-based wellington boot company, Squelch, added that her grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit and independent-mindedness had been passed on to several generations of his family.

“These crosses brought people comfort, whether they were religious or not,” she said.

"Obviously this past year has been a very lonely time for a lot of the elderly. And making these crosses for them has really kept him going during the pandemic.

"It was really important for him to get them out to people he felt were suffering or going through a really hard time.

"It was typical of him. He always taught me not to follow the crowd – to go out there and do your own thing."

Mr Roberts passed away, aged 89, at his family home on Thursday, March 25.

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.