RIP Ernie, you were a very kind and generous man, and will be sadly missed my may people in this town.

Ernie Robinson was a friend to many and was often seen jogging around the seafront and chatting at the Harbour Bar. He raised thousands of pounds for the Children in Need appeal and Henry Marshall allowed him to use his arcade for fundraising and employed him at the Teddy Bear darts stall(next to St Thomas's Hospital). I recall him smoking his pipe and telling jokes and stories to visitors. He often visited my donkeys to chat to my grandparents and would be heard touting "donkey rides are cheap today,cheaper than yesterday". He was a character often in our thoughts.

Ernie or 'Q' as he was known in our part of the world was a gentleman and a very good friend of mine, my family and our local community for over forty years. I first met Q when he came to live with the Boyds and work in the Cross Post Office just on the outskirts of Londonderry around 1966/1967 . We would see him out running along the roads and wondered who this tanned fitness fanatic was. A few friends on mine approched him and asked if we could train with him. We would walk over to Boyds house, about four or so at the start then it increased to about seven or eight; don't know how Mrs Boyd put up with us all trooping into her home to get changed before we went out for a warn up, a run and finished with exercises. Press ups was Q's favourite completing over 100 was no problem.
This was typical of the man, taking on a group of boys and putting us through a vigourous exercise routine. Ernie was well respected by all of the boys and he had his ways of keeping us on the straight and narrow if we stepped out of line. As this group of runners grew in number Ernie organised with the local church leaders to get an old unused school and convert it into a youth club. In our area this was a first, we would hear about youth clubs but these were miles away in the city. This was also when Ernie entered us in crosscountry races, walking races and road races which took us near and far. We were introduced to camping; all run of the mill stuff for Ernie as he had been training young soldiers for years before he came over to Ireland. Many a memorable camping trip we all had.

As time passed the 'troubles' were brewing and Ernie felt uncomfortable and reluctantly decided to move back to England and lucky for you all he moved to Scarborough to continue his charity work. I kept in touch and at 16 went over to stay with him for the summer holidays and worked on the Bingo acarade; those were great times stopping off for a cup of tea on our way to work then travelled down o

on the tram on the cliff down to the shore front.

As time moved on Ernie came over to stay with us on a few occassions and my own two girls were very fond of him as well. As the years passed myself and my wife made a few visits to Scarborough to see Ernie but mostly kept in touch by letter and telephone.

I'll finish by saying that Ernie Robinson was a model humam being, always joking; 'mustn't grumble', 'Gordon Bennet'... always in good humour and a Christian that Christ would be proud of; it didn't matter when we went on our camping trips if he couldn't find his own church or our church on a Sunday we would attend what was available in the area. It's so sad to think of Q as having left us but I know he's now in a better place; hopefully with a pint of the black stuff in his hand. I'm proud to have him as a friend and I know I'm a better person for it. And as Ernie would always finish his letters. God Bless.

I was saddened and upset to learn that Ernie had passed away. Throughout his selfless life he was always of a cheerful disposition and you could not wish to meet a more kind and generous person.

I first began to know “Q” when I was a teenager through John, my older brother. He was a boy soldier training at Blackdown and had benefited from Q’s vast experience of service life. “Q” often came home on leave with John to stay with our family.
“Q” made an instant impression on me and when I joined up, also as a boy entrant, he constantly supported and encouraged me during my training and subsequent service life.
It was a very poignant time for him when I later served in Londonderry.

Over the years he not only continued to be our friend but also a valued friend of our families as he easily won over the affections of our wives and children.
Our children will always remember his teasing of them during the trips to Scarborough to visit him and being taken to the Harbour bar for an ice cream. His banter with the staff there was priceless.

We all feel enormously privileged and fortunate to have known Ernie and we are all the better for having him in our life’s. God bless him.

Scarborough will be the poorer for having lost one of its real characters this week, Ernie Robinson, who put so much into life for others. A generous man, always cheerful, never lost for words, always quick with a humorous retort, Ernie tirelessly supported a number of charities including Martin House Children’s Hospice, and in the last five years has donated over £5000 to the hospice. Most of this has come from collection tins he had on display at “his table” at the Harbour Bar, Sandside, but also included personal donations. He supported many of the fundraising events organised by the Scarborough Friends of Martin House, and officially opened a number of them too. He will be greatly missed and remembered with great affection.