THE life of a sports fan was celebrated with a guard of honour and scores of guests at Selby Abbey.

Derek Vollans, of Park Street, Selby, who died at the age of 85, worked at BOCM Pauls in the town for 49 years.

During his funeral at Selby Abbey, Derek’s coffin was carried by his five daughters; Linda Keeble, Jane Cripps, Sandra Harland, Karen Welfare and Paula Clay.

Jane said: “It was a joint decision, after one of us suggested it and once we had talked about it, it seemed like the right thing to do.

“One of his grandsons is playing rugby in New Zealand, and we heard his team all wore black armbands and held a minute’s silence before their game this week, and a Fijian player said a prayer for him.”

Derek was a big sports fan, played football for Riccall United. He met his wife Kay, a nurse, after he broke his leg playing football in 1953.

Daughter Karen said: “Because he had to give up his football career, he went on to play snooker, bowls, umpired cricket, and we all got to be really good swimmers because we used to go with him and mum, but dad was never a strong swimmer.

“He was a wonderful father, with a good sense of humour, very young at heart, and we thought that carrying his coffin would be one last thing we could do to honour him.”

Derek’s funeral procession, last Wednesday, was also greeted by a guard of honour from Ye Fraternitie of Olde Selebians, and his family said the service was planned to celebrate his life, rather than mourn his death.