Tireless charity worker dies aged 90

Lester Griffiths, of Laburnum Gardens, Pebsham, died in Brighton hospital on Wednesday, July 22, of kidney failure and injuries relating to a fall.

Born in Bath in 1919, Lester joined the army for WWII, serving four years in India as a Quartermaster Sergeant in the Royal Engineers Wessex Division. After the war he served in the Territorial Army for fifteen years and went on to become an engineer in Ford General Motors, before founding the Griffiths School of Motoring.

Whilst in Bath he met, and married, Lynne Griffiths, who he would stay with until he died. The couple came to Bexhill for a holiday in the late seventies.

Lynne said: "We visited an Aunt over on Manor Road. It was a lovely day, blossom and sunshine. We fell in love with the place."

In 1980, suport grants for public transport in Bexhill were cut. Maidstone and District Motor Services, who had provided much of the town's transport, were forced to close their garage opposite West Station.

Lester and Lynne noticed a sign advertising a meeting in the Town Hall about the issue. With project leader Doug Upton, a retired local businessman, Lester began the Community Bus service with third founder Pat Bailey.

Lester was the last surviving member of the trio, who, between them launched the service on September 13, 1980 with a Reeve-Burgess minibus on a Ford Transit chassis, purchased at a cost of almost 20,000.

Seating sixteen, the Community Bus, or Little Blue Bus, as it became known, served four routes across Bexhill at a time when few other services did. The service became a vital part of the town, a fact recognised by East Sussex County Council and the Ministry of Transport after they began to part-fund the group's work, and in February 2000 the bus carried its one millionth passenger.

Lester not only drove the bus, but drawing on his skills as an engineer was responsible for maintenance and repairwork.

As well as helping with Meals On Wheels he later became a driver for the voluntary car service taken over by Lynne in 1984. For a voluntary donation, the service ferried residents without transport to and from local hospitals, operating with 35 drivers by the time Lynne and Lester retired in 2004.

Lester's health problems began in 2003, when he was hospitalised following kidney failure. He recovered, and enjoyed a full life until last month. A staunch fundraiser for the British Legion, he leaves no children or family other than a loving wife.

Lynne said: "He was well remembered and well loved by anybody. He would help anybody out. He was cheerful and polite and friendly."

His funeral was held on Monday, August 3 in Hastings, and his ashes will be scattered by the family.

Pauline Bullock, a trustee for Bexhill Caring Community, worked closely with Lester from around 1985 until 2000. She said: "Lester was a great help to the Bexhill Caring Community and to the Bexhill Council for Voluntary Service for many years and along with his wife Lynne they successfully ran the Voluntary Car Service, Lester doing much of the driving, especially the long distance journeys.

"He was always on hand to help with Christmas parcel packing and distribution and was a tower of strength in all aspects of the organisations.

"I recall how he would do any DIY jobs around the office which helped to keep the cost down for the charities and whatever he did was with kindness, nothing was too much trouble."