A WELL-known Banbury mayor and health campaigner died of natural causes, a coroner ruled yesterday.

An inquest heard George Parish died on November 26 due to Alzheimer’s disease.

The 75-year-old had been living at the Vale House care home, in Sandford, since August 2015.

He was popular in Banbury and was formerly a Labour councillor, but was known by most as a key figure is the battle to stop a downgrade of the Horton General Hospital.

This included six trips to Downing Street, in London, to hand in petitions signed by thousands of angry protesters to government officials.

In 2008 he celebrated with others when the then-Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, confirmed the Horton would not be downgraded after a review.

Even though his GP said he had been suffering from dementia and his death was ‘expected’, an inquest was required because Mr Parish had been deprived of liberties for his own safety, coroner Darren Salter said yesterday.

At the hearing in Oxford Coroner’s Court, he ruled Mr Parish, a retired shop steward at General Foods, died of natural causes.

Funeral details for Mr Parish are yet to be confirmed.