Engineer and businessman Bob Lancashire, who was a keen supporter of Devizes Lions, has died aged 88.

Gardener, opera lover and wine buff, Mr Lancashire, of Anstie Court, Devizes died on January 11.

He is survived by his wife Lillian and children Margaret, John and Liz, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

His son John this week paid tribute to his father as a self-made man and an inspiration to his family, He said: “Dad was very much a self-made man, who started life in a humble two-up, two-down in Stockport.

“He trained in the RAF during the war but was too young to see active service before the war ended. He was a pacifist so I don’t think he ever felt comfortable with war, but this early training gave him the spur to attend night school and qualify as a chartered engineer.”

He said that Mr Lancashire later became a widely respected figure in his industry. He worked his way up to become MD of an engineering firm in Birmingham and travelled extensively, selling British engineering to customers in Russia, China, Japan and Africa at a time when travel overseas was very unusual.

He said: “He and Mum both loved opera and went on many holidays in Italy to see the opera festival at Verona. He loved good wine and had a huge collection of books, which we’re still struggling to store today.

“He was also a keen gardener and was Secretary of the Hardy Plants Society.”

Mr Lancashire and his wife moved to Wiltshire about nine years ago and originally settled in Pewsey before moving to Devizes.

He was an active member of Devizes Lions and was a keen supporter of charity fundraising activities.

His funeral is on Monday at Gloucester Crematorium at 3pm.