Tony Hewitt, the founder and executive chair of the Parkwood Group, which owns Parkwood Leisure, has passed away at the age of 68.

The father of three died on New Year’s Eve after being admitted to hospital.

He leaves behind his wife Patricia and three children, Daniel, Amy and Lara.

Parkwood Leisure operates more than 85 leisure facilities on behalf of 25 local authorities across England and Wales, and has a turnover of £85m.

A statement released by Parkwood said: “Tony was enthusiastic and passionate, with boundless energy, and he will be remembered as both a charismatic business leader and a loving family man.

“We thank him for the invaluable contribution he has made to the leisure industry over the past 20 years.

“Tony was extremely proud of the Parkwood family of companies he dedicated his time to developing.

“His strong desire to leave behind a lasting legacy was realised through the creation of strong management teams to lead the businesses he nurtured.”

The statement added that the Parkwood Group will remain in the ownership of the Hewitt family.