TRIBUTES have been paid to a Lancashire educator and businessman who survived a tragic accident 15 years ago.

David George Edwards was only three years into a happy retirement with his soulmate Trish when he suffered life-changing injuries in a horrific accident in 2005.

Trish said: “For three years life in retirement was idyllic but sadly, in June 2005 Dave was returning from a golfing tournament in Granada, Spain.

His friend, who was driving, died at the wheel and the resulting crash left Dave on a life support machine. After four months in hospital, he was allowed home, but sadly he suffered life altering injuries.”

For the past 15 years Dave was cared for and supported by Trish at their home in Oswaldtwistle until he had to be admitted to hospital. Mr Edwards died on March 18, aged 81.

Before retiring, David and Trish had a farm in Rising Bridge, Rossendale. Dave did all the jobs around the farm, and even went on a course to learn dry-stone walling.

In 1989 they opened a large boarding kennels and cattery. In 2002, Dave decided the farm was becoming too much work for him and he wanted to concentrate on his golf, so they sold up.

Born in Wrexham, North Wales, David represented Wales in football at under 18s level. He kept his love of sport as he travelled all over the globe during his life.

He played football for local teams until he was 30, then he played league squash, took up horse riding in his 40s, and then took up the more leisurely sport of golf in his 60s.

He met his soulmate Trish in 1983 and they married in 1990. The couple have four children between them from previous marriages.

Describing their meeting and subsequent romance, Trish said: “When I met Dave in 1982 I had been a professional singer since 1970. I worked for the BBC and ITV as a backing singer. I also toured with 30 piece orchestras and even sang at Les Dawson’s wedding. I was a resident singer at the Golden Garter in Manchester, a large cabaret club which hosted stars from all over the world. As the live work started to dry up I applied to university to become a teacher. Dave was head of the course and interviewed me. It was as if a bomb went off. We were so alike, it was unerring. It was love at first sight and we became so close you could not have got a sheet of paper between us.

“We were made for each other.”

Mr Edwards spent most of his working life in education, a career that would take him all over the world. Aged 20 he gained a B.Sc. at Leicester University and taught at a London grammar school before moving to Bolton to lead a teacher training course.

He gained his Masters at Liverpool University, eventually becoming a principal lecturer.

In the 1990s he was asked to work for the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. He was tasked with visiting developing countries to advise their governments on the setting up of teacher training colleges.

Trish said: “He visited Sri Lanka, Egypt, El Salvador and Israel. Of course when he visited these countries he did not go where the tourists went so some of his tales were quite hair raising.”

She added: “He was working in Sri Lanka when civil war with the Tamils broke out. He had to spend eight weeks on the beach eating pineapples.

“When he was sent to El Salvador, he took me with him. Unfortunately it was just after another civil war, so we had to have an armed guard wherever we went.

“Life was certainly never dull.”