COLLEAGUES turned out in force to give a popular former postman a fitting send off.

Four Royal Mail vans joined the cortege as it made its way to the funeral service.

And the posties carried Clive Brocklesby's coffin into the packed St Stephen's Church, Steeton.

Among them was Mr Brocklesby's son, David, a serving postman himself.

He wore his father's original work coat and name badge in tribute.

Clive, who died, aged 75, at Oxenhope hospice Manorlands after a battle against cancer, had worked as a postman in Keighley for four decades until retiring 10 years ago.

"He was extremely popular which was shown by the number of people who attended the funeral," said his widow Joan, of Dale Crescent, Steeton.

"Clive was a great do-it-yourself person and was very good at everything. He loved working on people's cars and doing joinery jobs for folk.

"He wanted to be a joiner when he left school but there were no positions and he would have liked to have been a motor mechanic, but his dad said it didn't pay enough!"

Instead he worked initially in a mill and then down the mines, at Maltby Colliery, before becoming a postman.

Mr Brocklesby leaves Joan – whom he married in 1963 – children Rachel, Jane, Anne and David, and nine grandchildren.