The funeral of former town mayor and Alderman Michael Gale was held in Porthleven last Friday and attended by local dignitaries.

Current serving councillors from Helston and Porthleven town councils formed a guard of honour as Mr Gale's coffin was carried into Porthleven Methodist Church, where a service was held to honour the life of the man known was "Father of the Council" after he served as town mayor on the Helston Borough council in 1964.

The service featured a reading from current Porthleven clerk Elsie Balme, who spoke of Mr Gale's war service as a Desert Rat and tank driver during the Second World War, as well as his love of Porthleven, where he had lived with his wife Brenda since 1946. Mr Gale was then buried in Porthleven cemetery.

Flowers were sent from the town of Sasso Marconi in Italy, in recognition of Mr Gales's position as former chairman and founding member of the committee that twinned Helston with the Italian town.