Hundreds pay respects to Leslie at traditional Romany funeral

Over 500 people attended the funeral this week of well known Romany man, Leslie Elliott. NNL-160426-233847009

Horse drawn wagons, an impressive number of vehicles and mourners on foot made their way from Woodside Park to St Leonard’s Church in Ryton on Tuesday.

Leslie, who was married to Edna, was a proud family man who loved horses.

He had seven children, 19 grandchildren and 18 grandchildren.

Over 500 people attended the funeral this week of well known Romany man, Leslie Elliott. NNL-160426-234653009

Diane Edmunds, estates officer for Rugby Borough Council at Woodside Park, said: “Leslie was a Christian man without a bad bone in his body.

“He will be missed by everyone as he used to walk around the site every day sharing stories and cups of tea.”

He, Edna and their daughter Daisy, stayed in the lanes in Gillmorton over the years where they still have many friends. One of the families there had a tap fitted to the outside of their house to allow Leslie and his family access to water. They moved from Lowestoft to Woodside Park in June last year.

Diane added: “He also had a brilliant sense of humour and rarely stopped smiling.”