Tributes have been paid to a former Sutton Mayor who passed away last week.

Lal Hussain died on Wednesday, May 31. He was Mayor from 2000 to 2001 and had been awarded the MBE by the Queen in 1999 for his community work.

He also served as Secretary of the Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association of Sutton up until his death.

His son, Jamaal Hussain, spoke to Sutton Guardian about how his father inspired him.

He said: “His big thing was education. After my A levels I went to America and I’ve been there ever since. His pushed for me to do that. That encouragement allowed me to explore new opportunities.

“He willingly sacrificed for my dreams.”

Mr Hussain came to the UK in 1963 to work as a physics teacher.

However, he quickly discovered that the kids were unable to achieve enough qualifications academically which inspired him to teach the students practical skills instead.

His son described of how Mr Hussain would impart knowledge on how to “wire a house” and “plumb a toilet”.

Years later a student bumped into him on the street and explained how they became a plumber because of him.

Later in life Mr Hussain named his third world charity, Sultan Haider Trust, after his grandmother who brought him up after his mother lost her life while giving birth.

Mr Jamaal Hussain, now a managing director, spoke about some of the notable work his father conducted for the charity.

“He built schools, funded teacher’s salaries and procured educational materials for children in dozens of Pakistani schools over the years. A woman once wrote to him to thank him for building the only girl’s school in her village.  Going to that school gave her the chance to eventually become a doctor and return to the area and serve her community.”

Current Mayor of Sutton, councillor Jean Cross, also paid tribute to Mr Hussain who spent eight years working as a Sutton Councillor.

She said: “Lal Hussain was extremely active in our community, particularly in the Wallington area.

“It is a tribute to the generosity of Lal Hussain MBE that as recently as 2010 he packed up 55 food boxes to be distributed amongst those caught up in the 2010 Pakistan floods.

“I’d like to extend our condolences on behalf of everyone at Sutton Council as we pay tribute to a dear colleague, and offer our heartfelt sympathies to his family."

Sutton MP Tom Brake said that Mr Hussain was “a very well respected figure in Sutton's community” and added that his “energy and commitment will be greatly missed”.

One of his greatest legacies was providing a major contribution which turned Wentworth Hall in Carshalton from a dilapidated old boys club into a vibrant community centre.