A LEIGH man who devoted a large part of his life to promoting the Christians in Sport organisation has died.

Tributes have come from across the sporting and political world for Ian Lane Smith, aged 73, whose funeral was taking place today at Christ Church, Pennington.

A Rugby League fanatic, Ian organised many celebratory dinners gathering the stars of the game together, including Great Britain international and Wigan centre Bill Ashurst, Wigan ‘great’ Va’aiga Tuigamala and Saints star Apollo Perillini.

And it was Bill Ashurst who led the tributes at Ian’s funeral.

He said: “I met Ian in 1988 when I became a Christian. He loved his sport as well as the Lord. Ian was a wonderful man with a big heart who has now gone home to his Saviour.”

Speaking before the funeral, former European MEP, Terry Wynn – a Methodist local preacher – also paid tribute.

“Ian was one of those people that you couldn't dislike. Always smiling, always pleasant always giving good advice. Often disorganised but still managing to deliver whatever he set out to do, like organising events for Christians in Sport.

“In Methodist church circles he was well known, at least by my generation and attended several churches, probably for the sake of variety and to listen to the preacher. He cared for his mum for many years and it was comical to hear the patter between them. You couldn't be bored or miserable in his company. A great servant of the Lord, he will be sadly missed.”

Nick Hardman, a friend of Ian’s from the 1980s, praised his enthusiasm.

“His love of God was infectious and he always made sure you felt valued. He was a real people person and one of life's characters who put himself out for others.”

A final tribute came from Graham Daniels from Christians in Sport.

“Ian has been a great servant for so many years of the gospel of Jesus Christ and has been a significant witness to a significant number of people in the world of sport. I have many fond memories of Ian's remarkable character when as a young man I was under Andrew Wingfield-Digby's tutorship in ministry.

“Stand out memories are the packed Rugby League dinners where his passion for people in the game combined with his passion for Christ led to so many in his beloved sport coming under the sound of the gospel. Secondly, Andrew always smiled when on the phone to Ian, and always came off the phone saying that Ian's passion was infectious.

“I shall never forget his turning up at a CIS annual weekend, unannounced, with a coach load of about 30 ladies from church saying they'd taken a detour so that they could come and pray with us. There was only one Ian Smith, and now he is at home with the Lord he loved so much.”

Ian, who died in hospital, leaves a wife, Karen, and brother Tony.