Tributes paid to "wonderful, gentle and sweet" former town hall caretaker

Mr Dyson died on Sunday morning, aged 74, four days after he was admitted to West Berkshire Community Hospital for treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a respiratory condition from which he had suffered for a number of years.
His wife of 35 years, Rita Dyson, said: “He was wonderful.He was brash, his outward approach was grumpy, but he was a gentle, sweet person who would help anybody in trouble or distress.
“He had a wicked sense of humour... it’s one of the things I will miss very much.
“It was so sudden, so unexpected.”
Mr Dyson was born in Surrey in 1939, a short time after his parents had returned from China, where his father was the head of the fire service.
He became a chef by trade and moved to Guernsey, where he worked in the hotel industry.
He had two sons from a previous marriage, Jonathan and James.
In the late-1950s, Mr Dyson undertook national service in the Royal Air Force as a military policeman, serving in Singapore, Cyprus and China.
The couple moved to Spain in 1981, before returning to England in 1991.
They lived in Eastbury for 10 years, and between 2003 and 2012, Mr Dyson was caretaker at Newbury Town Hall.
The civic manager at Newbury Town Council, Joyce Lewis, said: “[Chris] was reliable, enthusiastic and always prepared to go the extra mile.”
A funeral service is being held at Thatcham Crematorium on Tuesday, April 1, at 11am, which anyone who knew Mr Dyson is welcome to attend.
It will be followed by a wake at The Plough, Eastbury.