TRIBUTES have been paid to a man described as “a pillar of the community” who helped found a Basildon church and an activity group for boys.

Albert Leaver, who died last month aged 94, has been described by friends and family as a devoted father, husband, churchman, and member of the community.

The electrician moved to Long Riding, in Basildon in 1958 from Bow, in East London, and quickly started to make his mark on the area.

He helped found the United Reformed Church, in Honeypot Lane, and also formed and led the 4th Basildon Boys’ Brigade.

His daughter, Jill Moorcraft, 53, who also lives in Basildon, and used to share tea and cake with her father every Saturday, said: “His family and his faith were very important to him.

“He was a real pillar of the community.

“Dad loved being involved with the church and the Boys’ Brigade, which he’d been a member of in London when he was a boy.”

During his last year, Albert, who had worked for Basildon-based tobacco company Carreras, became heavily involved in another project, called Our Basildon, Our Memories.

As part of the scheme, which was run by heritage group Our Basildon, Albert shared his memories with local schoolchildren and had his recollections filmed.

Jill, who works as a teaching assistant at Whitmore Junior School, said being involved in the heritage project gave her dad a knew lease of life. She said: “Dad loved talking about Basildon and his memories.”

Vin Harrop, who led the project, added: “Albert proved to be a mainstay of Our Memories, very popular among the other participants and particularly so with the young students.

“Albert was always the inquirer, always the one eager to learn about what other people were doing, and he made friends easily.

“It was those qualities that endeared him to many and made him a very special person to have in our project.

“We shall miss him greatly.”

Before moving to Basildon, Albert served in the Second World War, originally with the Home Guard, before being called up in 1943 to fight with the Royal Engineers in Italy and North Africa, working as a minesweeper.

He and his wife, Eileen, who died 13 years ago, aged 76, lived in the same house in Long Riding for the entire time they lived in Basildon.

As well as Jill, they had two other children – John, 58, and David, 55 – and six grandchildren.