TRIBUTES have been paid to a retired priest and “tireless fighter for justice”.

James Aylward, a retired priest in the Church in Wales, died last week after a battle with cancer.

Mr Aylward took on responsibility for the parish of Southsea in 2015 alongside his existing duties as vicar of Broughton and Berse Drelincourt where he had ministered since 2000.

He was married with four grown up children. Until recently, he was chairman of the Wrexham Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Group and a trustee of the Welsh Refugee Council.

Originally from Gateshead and educated at Exeter and Cambridge, he was a secondary school English teacher in the UK and abroad, including postings in Barcelona, Cremona and Kenya.

He was appointed as a trustee of the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW) in 2014.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones said: “James was a devoted vicar to the people of the Pentre Broughton, New Broughton, Brynteg, Berse and Southsea areas.

“He was also a tireless fighter for justice for refugees and gave his all in supporting our local voluntary sector.

“James was a highly intelligent, but also a deeply practical man who served our community in a whole range of ways, from being a school governor to acting as a friend to people fleeing persecution from the world’s trouble spots.

“I first met James before my election to Parliament and can testify of his great service to our local communities.

“He will be greatly missed.”