A COLNE primary school was expected to close at lunchtime today for the funeral of its headteacher.

Tony Stevenson, who has been head of Christ Church Primary School for eight years, died on Friday evening after a long battle with cancer.

Members of staff from the school planned to attend the cremation, which was due to take place this afternoon in Skipton, led by Rev Kathleen Allen, who is also chairman of governors at the school.

Rev John Priestley, vicar of Christ Church in Colne, was also expected to attend.

Mr Stevenson stopped working in January and spent the last week of his life at Pendleside Hospice, where he died.

He leaves behind his wife, Gill, and three teenage sons, Neil, Greg and John.

He had also worked as deputy head at Barrowford Primary School before moving on to Christ Church School.

Acting headteacher of Christ Church, Fiona Heap, said: "He was extremely popular and most of us had worked with him for eight years so we decided to close the school so people could attend the cremation.

"We had a special assembly on Monday morning where Rev Allen explained everything to the children. Some of them already knew and a lot of them were very upset but we tried to carry things on as normal because that is what Mr Stevenson would have wanted.

"The children have been doing some writing in school as part of their grieving process and one child wrote 'He wasn't just the headmaster he was our friend' and that sums up his chracter. He was available for everyone. He was a lovely man.

"We have stuck some photographs of him up on some boards in school along with the cards from parents so that the children can look at them."