'Well-respected' family man from Leverington Common has a traditional travellers' funeral

Nearly 200 people came from all over the country to attend the funeral of 83-year-old Andrew Taylor and give him a fitting travellers' send-off.

Mourners walked behind the coffin from Andrew's home at Leverington Common to Gorefield Church on Thursday and spectacular floral tributes were taken to the graveside.

“It was a traditional travellers' funeral with everything done as my dad wished,” said his daughter Mary Taylor.

She said that Andrew was a well respected member of the travelling community who was born in Wales and travelled all over the country before settling at Leverington Common 20 years ago.

This was the area he liked most of all and it was also where he met his wife Janet, daughter of a local smallholder. They married 63 years ago and have two sons, five daughters, 14 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and another on the way.

Mary recalls her dad talking with pride about one time they were employed fruit picking on the Sandringham estate.

“The Queen Mother actually visited their caravan,” said Mary “and he let Prince Philip have a little drive in his car.”

When The Queen died, even though he was ill himself, Andrew asked his grandson Billy to take him to Sandringham to lay flowers.

“Billy took him everywhere. Andrew, Billy and another grandson Lee were inseparable,” said Mary.

She said that they followed Andrew's wishes for his funeral and were quite humbled by the number of people who came to pay tribute.

“They came from as far away as Wales and Scotland, were not just travellers, and we could not have asked for a better day.”

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