NORMAN Haines MBE died on January 27 aged 82. Mr Haines received an MBE in 1999 for his work in the community, which included establishing the Link service in Box.

He was born in 1933 in Oxford Road in Calne where his parents had a shop and he attended Upton House School in the town. At the age of 17, Mr Haines moved with his parents to Devon where they bought a farm. Norman found a job in the Dartmouth Pottery where he met his future wife Thelma.

Mr Haines later returned to Wiltshire and lived in Bradford-on-Avon for a number of years, before moving with his parents to Box in 1956, where they acquired a confectionary and wool shop in The Parade.

Norman then landed a job as a technician in the Royal Navy’s training centre in Corsham and assisted his wife Thelma in the shop which they had taken over following the retirement of his parents. The shop was sold in the early 1980s.

The shop wasn’t the only Haines family business; they also ran a dairy in Calne which began life in 1898 and was taken over by Mr Haines’ father Fred in the 1920s, until it was sold on so that the family could move to Devon.

It was following his early retirement that he really began to play an active part in the community. Mr Haines and his wife volunteered for the Methodist Church and Selwyn Hall. His cousin Vincent Haines said: “He was one of those people who knew everyone and was a very popular member of the local community.”

Mr Haines’ most notable service to the community came when he established the Link transport service in Box; a service that provides transport to medical appointments and other important meetings for people who have difficulty leaving their homes. He also received a Wiltshire Constabulary award in 2005 for his volunteer work. He was a supporter of the Conservative Party and had a keen interest in horses. He has six cousins, four of whom still live in Calne and Chippenham. His wife died in 2006. His funeral will be held at St Thomas a Becket church in Box on Thursday, February 11 at 2pm.