FAMILY and friends of taxi driver Ollie Fielding gathered on Saturday for the unveiling of a bench in his memory close to the rank he spent many hours.

Mr Fielding, who died last April aged 76, was a larger than life character who was well loved by the rest of the taxi driving community in the town.

Fellow taxi driver Ian Moffat was determined his memory would not die and with the backing of Mr Fielding's family set about fundraising for the bench which was unveiled outside Barclays Bank in St John's Street.

Mr Fielding's partner Val Webb said: "Unbelievably it is now 12 months since we all lost Ollie, real name Raymond, Fielding. The taxi community has done him proud in that time.

"Their determination to have a bench placed in lasting memory of Ollie near the taxi rank for all to enjoy has now been achieved. Ollie's family and myself, his partner, would like to give a big thank you to everyone involved in whatever capacity who cared enough about Ollie to have made this possible.

"Special thank you to taxi driver Ian Moffat and funeral director Paul Mcdonald."

She said a surplus of £128 from the bench fund will go to Cancer Research UK. Mr Moffatt set up the appeal to raise £1,000 last year and won the backing of Devizes Town Council. It supplied the bench, which was fitted with a plaque, to match others in the area and will maintain it.

Mr Fielding had run Ollie's Taxis since 2003.