Tributes for much-loved young Gourock man who tragically died on Christmas Eve

Vishal Ballgobin was a well-known and popular employee at Port Glasgow Tesco and friends have been left distraught by his sudden death.

They have shared their memories of how he 'lit up every room he went into'.

The brother of Reena, Shoma and Kimi, Vishal lived in Tower Drive with his parents Mr and Mrs Ballgobin after the family relocated from Mauritius a number of years ago.

While completing a computing course at West College Scotland in 2015, Vishal was working as a customer assistant at the Port supermarket, where he met many lifelong friends.

They assembled outside the store on the day of Vishal's funeral to say a final farewell.

Former colleague and close friend of 10 years, Shereen Lafferty, spoke to the Tele about the impact Vishal's passing has had on the community.

The 26-year-old said: "Everyone knew Vishal - he was the type of person people gravitated towards and wanted to have as a friend.

"When I started at Tesco he took me under his wing, as he did with everyone who was new to the job.

"My mum, Karen, works in Tesco too so I had known of him but when I started we became really good friends.

"He is such a loss to everyone who knows him.

"He was always there for anyone and nothing was ever an issue to him, he'd be there for whatever you needed him for and was always happy to go for a drink or dinner if you wanted to go out."

Vishal attended Gourock High School and had a wide circle of friends.

Shereen said: "He has so many friends here, as well as in Dunoon, Mauritius, where his family are from, and even Australia.

"It's not just his friends that have been affected but their families, Vishal was the kind of guy who would happily sit with your parents while you weren't there.

"He was our first-footer every new year, and it really hit us this year when he didn't knock on our door.

"He was the life of the party and he's going to be missed so much by so many people."

A keen Manchester United fan, Vishal often travelled down to games with friends and colleagues.

He was also known for his love of music such as R&B, although did have one guilty pleasure.

Shereen, who works in the Greenock mortgage centre, said: "His all-time favourite was Mariah Carey which makes everyone laugh.

"He went to see her with three other guys and apparently he was belting every word to every song.

"He just knew how to lift your spirits and was always so happy, you always got him the one way and he never had anything bad to say about anyone."

A fundraiser was set up in Vishal's memory by his friend Andrew Gonet to raise money for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, who support his mum, and so far £3,465 has been raised.

Andrew said: "Vishal was the kindest most supportive person.

"His smile could light up a room and his warmth and humour made him a light in so many lives.

"Everyone who met him will have a story about a time where he helped them through a tough time or showed them support when they needed it."

Friends from all over the world have paid tribute to Vishal.

Schoolfriend Danny McArdle saying: "Vishal was always one of those people who was always there if you really needed them.

"I'm eternally grateful that I was lucky enough that he was part of my early life."

Friend Campbell Macdougall said: "He never passed without saying hello - the world is now missing a piece that will never be replaced."

Kieran Skivington added: "Vishal was one in a billion, he was funny and always made me smile.

"The world's a sadder place without him."

Vishal's funeral was held on 27 January at Greenock Crematorium.

The fundraiser in Vishal's memory has already raises £4,000 and pledges can still be made online at bit.ly/2Y3B67j