Rugby fans pay tribute to friend (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Rugby fans pay tribute to friend

Bikers arrive for Trevor Gibbs' funera. Ref: 78815RUGBY fans will gather for a minutes' silence in Wootton Bassett to mark the memory of Trevor Gibbs this weekend.

Veteran teams from Swindon and Wootton Bassett rugby clubs will clash on Sunday in a memorial rugby union game to celebrate his life.

Trevor, who lived in Park South, died on August 1 at the age of 51, after his Kawasaki ZX 12R motorbike collided with a car at the Whitehouse Bridges, by the junction of Station Road and Corporation Street.

He was on his way to see Rachael Gittins, his devoted partner of nearly 11 years.

At an emotional gathering at Swindon crematorium in August, old friend Steve Milner decided that a rugby match would be the perfect way to remember Mr Gibbs.

He said: "I first had the idea at the crematorium.

"We were standing round and I said, 'we've got to do something more than this.'"

Senior figures from Wootton Bassett and Swindon rugby clubs worked together to organise the event, which kicks off at Stoneover Lane in Wootton Bassett at 1pm.

Mr Milner, 50, said: "Above all we want a chance to remember him in the right spirit.

"Gibbo (Mr Gibbs) was well known for his rugby playing spirit, and we want to recreate that on Sunday.

"We hope that the game will be played in the way he would have liked it, which is hard, but friendly.

"Hopefully, there will be some good humour and a few pints in the bar afterwards.

"There are already plans to make the fixture an annual event and many friends and family are expected to attend.

"We expect there will be a lot of bikers there, as well as bouncers from around the town: They all knew him well."

Mr Gibbs' death in August was the source of controversy as it came after repeated warnings that someone could die at the Whitehouse Bridges junction.

Swindon Council admitted after the accident that the lights at the junction of Corporation Street and Station Road had not been working for up to a year.

Now work has started on safety improvements at the junction that will include new traffic lights, street lighting and a pedestrian crossing.