THE grieving partner of 'community champion' Evonne Harwood was threatened at knifepoint on the way home from her funeral.

Guy Curtis had been walking home with his dog Moses alongside the path by Accrington railway after visiting the Abbey Hotel in Bank Street when he was approached by a man at 5pm.

Mr Curtis, 57, said: "I was still dazed from the funeral, it was surreal.

"He wanted my phone and wallet, but I wasn't going to give them over to him because they both had pictures of Evonne and my family.

"I put my hand in my back pocket to take out £20 but then another £20 fell out. He snatched that and he went away.

"I still feel a bit twitchy going out to walk my dog."

Hundreds of people had attended the funeral at St James Church which had seen people walk the streets of Accrington to pay tribute.

Mr Curtis, who had known Ms Harwood since school, said: "I'd been so busy with the funeral, I wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

"It was an excellent day up until then.

"I feel sorry for the bloke, these are the sort of people that Evonne was championing."

A spokesman for the police said: “The man had been walking along a path when he was approached from behind, someone grabbed him and spun him around.

"He was threatened with a knife by a man, who got away with around £40."