Aston Stewart on holiday in Florida, December 2018 [Wendy Markland]

TRIBUTES have been paid to “Kilburn legend” who dedicated 30 years of his life to getting the children and people of West Hampstead interested in sport.

Aston Stewart, who died aged 58 last Tuesday, will be remembered for his “trademark beaming smile”, patience and steadfast support and leadership as a youth and sports coach.

He was a sports coach and lunchtime supervisor at West Hampstead Primary School, where he has worked for more than 20 years.

He also joined Sidings Community Centre in West Hampstead in 2008 as a youth and community sports worker.

His sister Wendy Markland said: “He was always sporty, always helpful, always strong. He wasn’t academic. He was practical, especially in terms of real-life situations. If you had a problem he was very good at giving advice. He didn’t actually work a day in his life because he loved what he was doing. He just had fun.

“He enjoyed working at Sidings so much that he would volunteer to cover people’s shifts. Even when the caretaker was away he would open up in the morning.”

Ms Markland added: “He had to get up at 5am in order to open up the centre, but he’s not an early riser, I am, so he would ask me to ring him at 5am and to keep ringing him until he was awake. Once he answered on the first ring but it would usually take three or four goes.”

Her fondest memory of him was four years ago when their family visited Mr Stewart’s timeshare in Florida, a place he loved going to every year.

“We all gathered together and it was wonderful. He was doing his ‘older brother speech’ as our father had died the previous year so we were remembering him. It was wonderful,” she said.

Sue Measures, centre manager at Sidings who knew Mr Stewart for 30 years, remembered his amazing ability to organise a pop-up football tournament with around 10 teams who appeared out of nowhere, culminating in the grand finale at the annual Jester Festival, where he gave out medals to all children who participated so they would feel proud of themselves.

Ms Measures said: “We are all devastated and our hearts are heavy after the loss of such a special person. We have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of affection and tributes from both young and old. He had that empathy that enabled him to be a really insightful coach.

“He always tried to get the best out of people and encouraged people to participate. That was what was exceptional about his coaching skills: he was able to motivate people to take part.”

Mr Stewart was deeply proud of his Jamaican heritage and during world sporting events he wore Jamaican colours on his sports kits.

Jo McMillan, Sidings youth coordinator, remembered how during Black History Month he would tell the children tales of his upbringing in Jamaica, bringing to life what it was like to live there in the 1960s.

Lorna Russell, chair of Sidings, said: “He was just a really friendly, positive person. He would go out of his way to help people. His passing has really shaken people in the community that have worked with him.”

Sidings hosted a public memorial to Mr Stewart at their centre last night (Wednesday) in place of their annual general meeting and West Hampstead Primary held a special assembly last Friday morning.

Headteacher Sam Drake said in a letter to parents and carers: “Aston was a much-loved member of our school, who always had a smile on his face and enjoyed spending time supporting the children. He will be remembered fondly by all of our staff and families.”

Following a successful operation at the Royal Free, Mr Stewart was “found unresponsive” a few days later.

The cause of his death is to be investigated.