If there's a blue moon tonight, then you know Ron Travolta is at it again!

WHEN the Prime Minister talks about the value of Big Society, then Ron Travolta had the currency to fit perfectly into that ideal - selfless, thoughtful, committed and an all-round decent guy.

Ron, his real name was Ron Inglis, died suddenly early this morning from a heart attack, just a day before his 56th birthday.

In truth, before today, I didn't have the foggiest how old Ron was - this follically-challenged friend possessed just a whiff of close cropped grey hair around the temples, sported one of those weathered faces, owned a bright toothy smile and packed a familiar throaty laugh which broke into a coughing fit if ever he overdid the chuckles.

Ron certainly wasn't looking forward to drawing his pension. This guy had a passion for life and also a passion for people. You were drawn to him by his charm and magnetic personality.

He was one of the driving forces behind the community radio station Swindon 105.5, which began broadcasting in March 2008 after being awarded a licence by Ofcom a year earlier.

Home initially was a broom cupboard - well, it was a bit bigger than that - at the back of Swindon Town Football Club's County Ground.

In those early years, I made several appearances on the daily breakfast show with Ron and station manager, Shirley Ludford, as Ron's wicked sense of humour really pushed the boundaries of broadcasting and good taste. Occasionally, it was just the two of us and then we were really stretching the decency zone with some decidedly dodgy music choices and tongue-in-cheek male chauvinist views.

When the radio station moved to new premises at the Bentley Centre, I hosted a series of Thursday evening programmes for a three-month spell, with Ron teaching me audio editing, interviewing techniques with a microphone and the essentials of producing a radio show. He had endless energy, huge amounts of patience, as well as a delicate knack of bringing the best out of you on air. Ron was slicker than Bambi on ice skates and a masterful multi-tasker.

Swindon 105.5 became Ron's life and raison d'etre as an unpaid volunteer, among the scores of other volunteers from all walks of life who keep this wonderful radio station going 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.

His night job was working as a professional DJ, primarily at clubs in Bristol and Cardiff, but also, it seemed, that every other waking hour was spent at the studios - using his technical expertise to coax equipment into life, problem solving for others, presenting on air, tech-opping, and generally ensuring the smooth running of a station which lies at the heart of the community in Swindon, offering radio as a valuable media to young and old across a diverse range of communities.

When the radio station's computer system was hacked into a couple of years ago, and thousands of hours of stored music was lost, Ron worked tirelessly over the course of one weekend to ensure Swindon 105.5 remained on air. This criminal act could have spelled the end for the radio station, but toiling through the early hours of the morning, Ron doggedly completed the job with the help of other volunteers to get this jewel in Swindon's crown back to what it does best - giving all of Swindon a true and decidedly different voice.

Ron could be blunt and abrasive too at times. He had a neat line in sarcasm too. I remember once when he gave Swindon's then chief superintendent of police, Paul Howlett, a right old grilling on air about policing outside clubs and pubs in the town centre. It was bruising.

But it was that wicked sense of humour, that never-ending desire to have fun which shone through, often at other people's expense - particularly if it involved football and his beloved Manchester City.

The anthem "Blue Moon" would frequently get an airing on Ron's "Breakfast Show" to herald another win for City, and even as recently as Sunday, he was revelling in their Charity Shield victory over Chelsea with pithy Facebook entries such as.....

• Pre-season training giving rides on Blackpool beach pays off for Torres

• Chelsea are baiting City fans.... To be fair, I've heard it said that Chelsea are Master Baiters!

Ron was a top guy who was DJ at Alison and my wedding just three months ago at the Blunsdon House Hotel, and he was brilliant. Shirley was there too to share in our big day - little did we know that Ron and Shirley were due to be married in November. Life can simply be so cruel at times.

I contrast that with a phone call I took yesterday from a dear friend whose wife was diagnosed with stomach cancer earlier this year. She had been given anywhere from between two months to two years to live. After months of traipsing up and down to hospital in Oxford, they have been told by doctors that the tumour has cleared and that the treatment has worked. They're not out of the woods yet, but this is a wonderful step forward. Life can also be sobering at times.

Four years ago, together with Shirley, Tony Martin from the Zurich Community Trust and the then Mayor, Steve Wakefield, we created the Pride of Swindon awards which each year honours the great and the good of the town who have unselfishly done so much in the service of their community.

Every year, a gold mine of unsung heroes is unearthed, each receiving a special badge, and the lucky few have their names emblazoned on a plaque which hangs in Swindon's Central Library.

Ron Travolta - great name, but dodgy football team - fits the bill perfectly as a man who was intrinsically the Pride of Swindon. Behind the laugh, behind the wit, here was a man who was respected and who cared.

If you see a blue moon tonight, then you know Ron is at it again! A top guy who will be truly missed.