AROUND 500 people are expected to attend the funeral of Ken Charnley, who was Lancashire's longest serving head when he retired after 36 years in charge of Meadowhead Junior School, Blackburn.

He died at his home in Riley Green, near Hoghton, aged 75.

Mr Charnley (pictured), an old boy of Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, served in the Army Intelligence Corps during the Second World War.

After the war he taught at several Blackburn schools before taking over aged 27 as head at Mill Hill, as Meadowhead was previously known, in 1953.

He was a former president and secretary of the Blackburn branch of the National Union of Teachers and a past president of the Lancashire NUT.

Mr Charnley was also chaplain to the Lancashire and Cheshire Federation of Scottish Societies.

Mr Charnley was chairman of Chorley Community Health Council until May. He also stood down as a Chorley councillor in May on health grounds and he was a former county councillor. He was also a member of Brindle and Hoghton parish councils, clerk to Livesey parish council for 18 years, and a governor at St James', Brindle, and St Joseph's, Hoghton, primary schools.

The funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity parish church, Hoghton, on Friday followed by a short service at Pleasington Crematorium.

Mr Charnley leaves his wife Mona, who was also formerly a head at Sunny Bank private school, Burnley, six children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandson.