HUNDREDS of mourners from across Britain gathered in Bolton to pay tribute to one of the fairground world's leading figures.

Henry Hill, the head of one of the biggest fairground families in the North-west, died following a heart attack in the Canary Islands last month. His funeral cortege, which passed through the town centre, included two hearses full of flowers.

It was led by Mr Hill's fairground truck with the words Big Henry, as he was known in the showman's world, emblazoned on the front.

The cortege made its way past the town hall to the showground behind Le Mans Crescent, where Mr Hill's wife and five children laid a wreath. The card read: "Sweet dreams Henry, with love from all your family." The cortege then made its way to Blackley Crematorium.

Mr Hill, who was 58, was one of eight brothers and two sisters born in a caravan in Bolton. The family business was founded by his father Albert in 1901.

As a child he survived a fire at Tyldesley Wakes, which left him and his brother, Terence with serious injuries. But he overcame that setback to spearhead the successful funfair business.

His son Henry Jr, aged 41, said that his father's wish had always been for the show to go on. He said: "The support we received from the fairground world and from the people of Bolton was tremendous."