A SERVICE of thanksgiving for the life and service of the Rev David Roberts, was held yesterday in Radcliffe.

The superintendent minister for the Unsworth and Radcliffe circuit of the local Methodist Church died at the weekend, aged 62.

Mr Roberts had been attending the Keswick Christian Convention in the Lake District.

His wife Rosemary, who was with him at the convention, said he had died during the night after going to bed on Friday.

The only son of Blanche and Stanley Roberts of Pendlebury, the young David Roberts worked for the Post Office as a clerk and had a brief spell in the RAF in the late 1950s before going to Bible college in Glasgow in 1961.

He went on to train as a methodist minister, although he originally wanted to work as a missionary.

This was reflected in his later contribution to aid work in Romania.

His work involved organising lorry-loads of goods to help both the Home of the Babes Orphanage and local townsfolk.

In addition to sending much-needed baby clothes, food, toys, medical supplies and toiletries, Mr Roberts organised fund-raising to provide skin-grafting equipment for use in life-saving operations.

Mr Roberts, who returned to work in Radcliffe from Gateshead in September 1992.

The caring and resourceful minister took a hands-on approach to charity work - but most important of all, according to wife Rosemary, was his life's work preaching.

She said: "He lived for God and for the Church. There was never a dull moment with David. He had a busy life."

As well as Mrs Roberts, he leaves two grown-up sons.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.