Hundreds gathered to say goodbye to campaigner, volunteer and fundraiser Keith Busfield

Family and friends have said farewell to a “generous, warm-hearted, friendly and helpful man” who was a key figure in the Stamford and Rutland community.

Keith Busfield was known for his active roles in Stamford’s annual Cards for Good Causes sale at St John’s Church, the food waste charity Second Helpings, and Evergreen Care Trust.

As well as supporting local charities, he was a keen cyclist who rode with The Cyclists of Stamford and took part in the annual Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride to raise money for The Friends of the Connection, which supports homeless people.

Keith was also a member of the local Ramblers Association and went on regular walking holidays with his partner of 11 years, Sue Holloway.

Keith was born in Croydon. At the age of seven, Keith, his older brother Graham and their parents moved to Taunton. He won a place at the local grammar school and soon started going on French exchange trips, which sparked his life-long love of France, and friendships that lasted nearly half a century.

Having gained three straight As at A-level, Keith took a year out to work at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, where he learned much about human nature, before taking up a place at Cambridge University to study geography.

After dipping a toe into teacher training, and the Marks and Spencer graduate scheme, Keith - who was not keen on structured working environments - found his calling in recruitment advertising, working with the media for 18 years. In 2000 he shifted focus, becoming a career coach for those facing redundancy or enforced settlement agreements, which he excelled at until he retired in 2018.

Having married his first wife, Sue, in 1991, Keith became the father of two children, David and Helen. The couple went their separate ways and a few years later Keith met Sue Holloway and, after a spontaneous decision to sell his own place, they shared a home near Stamford.

Together they enjoyed wildlife, the countryside, walking holidays and supporting charities, and in the past few months they jointly chaired the Mallard Pass Action Group, which is campaigning against the creation of a huge solar farm on the Stamford and Rutland border.

Following his funeral at Peterborough Crematorium in Marholm on Monday (April 25), a celebration of Keith’s life was held in the Stamford Arts Centre Ballroom. About 200 people attended, representing many aspects of Keith’s life and interests.

Audrey Hensman, representing Second Helpings, read a tribute from the Rev Andy Fyall, in which he described Keith as “kind”,”vibrant” and having “a huge desire to make a difference”. He added that they had spent time discussing life and faith, and that Keith’s perspective had made him think about his own faith, and how to ‘live it’.

Charles Wood spoke on behalf of the Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride team, fondly recalling how Keith had, after completing the 200-mile event, ended up sleeping on a park bench in Newark after finding his car locked in a car park. This, Keith saw as a poignant finale to the fundraiser for people who sleep rough.

Sharing messages from members of the Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride team, Charles spoke of a man who was “a real gent”, “generous with his talents”, had “huge compassion”, and “boundless energy”.

Adding his own tribute, Charles said: “Keith was a wonderful man who gave so much and had so much to give.”

Members of The Cyclists of Stamford wore their club shirts to the funeral and, paying tribute afterwards, Jim Grant spoke of Keith being ‘a hoot’ to ride with.

“He had the ability to balance the serious job of leading a ride with making it fun,” he added.

While Sunday morning cycle rides meant Keith could not attend every walk with Rutland Ramblers and their Stamford counterparts, he was a valued member.

Michael Gillon, from Rutland Ramblers, said: “The committee recognised early on, here was a man of considerable talent. We quickly made Keith our public relations officer.”

This proved invaluable and last year the group gained a great deal of local and national publicity after it held a walk in and around Ketton before marking the 20th anniversary of The Rutland Round with a presentation the creator of the route, John Williams.

The announcement of plans to build the Mallard Pass solar farm prompted Keith to lead a ramble on the Rutland and Stamford border, so that people could see the huge areas which could be affected if the proposal is approved.

Keith’s partner, Sue, will continue to campaign against the solar farm.

“I want to carry on,” she said, speaking last week, before the funeral. “It’s a huge journey, and complex, but I have to do everything in the bests interests of the group.

“Keith’s first instinct, on reading about the plans, was that it was ‘unjust’. He immediately got his public relations head on and it became a huge commitment and responsibility for both of us.

“He was very much someone who would stick up for the underdog. He saw it as a David and Goliath situation.”

Speaking at Keith’s funeral, Sue said: “Once he had made up his mind about something, he committed to it wholeheartedly.”

She added that she had chosen Stamford Arts Centre for a celebration of his life because they had shared a love of watching films there, as well as attending the theatre and concerts.

“Our last project was walking the South West Coast Path around Devon and Cornwall,” she added.

“We had just three days’ walking left to complete, which we planned to do this year.” Sue will complete the walk ‘for Keith’.

Keith was taken ill suddenly and died on March 17. He leaves his partner, Sue, his children David and Helen, and his mother, Gwynneth.