Tribute to Les Palmer

A funeral service and thanksgiving for the life of Les Palmer (86), who died on 27th December, was held earlier this month at St Mary's Church, Haddenham. The service was conducted by curate, the Rev Ian Herbert.

Les came to the village in 1977 with his wife Doreen and son Steve and for several years had an engineering business in High Wycombe.

In the village, he helped with the Youth Football Club and two of the boys from his team — now adults, of course — attended the funeral.

Also at the service were representatives of local Scouting organisations including the former Akela (for the Cub Pack that Steve attended), who said Les was 'great fun' at the Cub camps he helped at.

Another village group Les supported very actively was the Haddenham Health Supporters' Group which was the first patient participation group in the village, formed in the 1980s.

One-time Chairman of the HHSG and current PPG Chairman, Keith Milmer, said: "Les was a really loyal and enthusiastic supporter of the Health Supporters' Group. Together with his wife, Doreen, Les attended virtually every meeting for several years and contributed to various social and fundraising activities, such as acting as a steward on the regular fieldpath walks initiated by John Landon and Peter Gulland. Les was a lovely chap, who took obvious pleasure in being involved in the group. He will be sadly missed."

In his retirement years, Les was a keen do-it-yourselfer and was also 'into' motorbikes.

Donations in memory of Les can be made to UCARE — a research department at Oxford's Churchill Hospital — via funeral directors FJ Wilson.