A “LARGER-THAN-LIFE” teacher of martial arts has died aged 86.

Maurice Ainsworth was known in Darwen for setting up karate and weightlifting clubs in Vernon Street and Everton Street Barracks. For decades, the dad of two lived in London Terrace.

His widow Christine said: “He was a superb husband who looked after me and instilled confidence in me.”

Great-grandad Mr Ainsworth started the first karate club in Darwen in the 1950s in the cellar of a coffee bar in the town centre. The retired roofer’s daughter-in-law, Sandy, said family, weightlifting and karate were his priorities.

She said: “His main passion was sports. No matter how many jobs he did in a day, he always had time for training. In fact, it was not a passion — it was a lifestyle.

“Maurice will be missed. He was very well-known and if you went for a walk with him, he would talk to everybody and a ten-minute walk would turn into two hours.

“He was so involved in the community. He was a larger-than-life character who always had a positive attitude in life. One of his many sayings was ‘Know thyself’ and we believe he did.”

Tony, Mr Ainsworth’s son, said: “He was a good dad and a nice bloke.”

Mr Ainsworth went to Darwen Moors every day, until his health deteriorated, to lift rocks. Recently he suffered strokes and had to use a wheelchair. He died on Tuesday. Peter Yates — an ex-pupil of Mr Ainsworth — went on to become a martial-arts instructor in Australia, Japan and the USA. Mr Yates put down his success to his teacher’s lessons.

Mr Yates said: “What Maurice taught me enabled me to navigate life and achieve what I have.

“When times were not so good I remembered his teachings and they pulled me through.”