THE funeral has taken place of a 60-year-old Hereford man who ran a family TV aerial business for many years.

Patrick ‘Paddy’ King, of Paddy King TV Aerials, was at his Ledbury Road home shortly before the new year when he suffered a tragic accident while working in his garage and died.

Friends and family bade a fond farewell to Paddy during a funeral service on Tuesday when one of his business vans led the procession to St Francis Xavier Church in Hereford.

Paddy is survived by his wife, Jean, and three children, Janine, Michael and Sarah.

He also has two surviving brothers and five sisters, along with 17 nieces and nephews.

Jean said that from the age of just five Paddy would help his father, also called Paddy, in putting together aerials.

At the age of 21 he temporarily took over his father’s business while supporting a family of 10 before taking a short break to work for British Telecom.

He took over the reins at the aerial business permanently in 1987 and continued to trade across Herefordshire until his death. The firm will now be forced to close having existed for 55 years.

In his spare time he enjoyed renovating his house and garden and enjoyed working on his lathe and milling machine at home.

Mrs King said the family would like to thank the emergency services for their cards of condolence.

Donations from the funeral will be sent to the Blue Lamp Foundation, which supports emergency services personnel injured in the line of duty as a result of a criminal act.