A DARWEN legend who taught thousands of children and adults to swim died has died aged 77.

John Johnson's dream of building a private swimming school was realised in 1971 when the joiner found a building on Blackburn Road to suit his needs.

The keen swimmer and fanatical Rovers fan taught thousands of people, young and old, to swim within the 10m teaching pool. He died at the weekend.

His son Jed, 48, who bought the business from his father 11 years ago, said: "We have children coming here now whose parents our dad taught 30 years ago. I don't think there's a person in Darwen who didn't know him." He leaves four sons -- Peter, 53, Paul, 52, Jed, 48, Michael, 36, and daughter, Pat, 51.

John's wife, Joan, died at the beginning of the year and today's funeral marked the couple's 55th anniversary. Both died as a result of liver cancer.

Jed said: "They spent every anniversary together and now I suppose they will be together again. It was tragic losing mum six months ago and to lose dad as well is something none of us has really come to terms with yet."

John, a former Darwen Lions president, worked as a joiner at Darwen office furniture store, Evertaut, and spent much of his time raising money for charity. He made up his own version of the triathalon and was also a keen member of Darwen Golf Club.

His 70th birthday marked the 25th anniversary of the pool, and his gift was teaching people how to enjoy the water instead of being thrown in at the deep end.

Jed said: "The main difference was that a lot of personal care was taken to teach people."

The funeral took place this morning at St Peter's Church in Mill Hill where donations were collected for MacMillan Nurses.