Family and friends to celebrate the life of popular Melton builder who has died aged 78

Alan Pick was responsible for countless buildings across the area, including many on local farms, during a career which started when he was a 17-year-old apprentice to a stonemason.

He was being treated for cancer in the last months of his life and sadly died at the Leicester Royal Infirmary last month.

Alan’s son, Andrew, told the Melton Times: “He was a local builder in the Melton and Rutland area all his life.

“Just about every farm in the district that you drive past, he built that barn, that cowshed or that stable block.

"The farming community will be devastated to lose him.

“He was proud of everything he built – I was walking down the high street in Melton just a few weeks ago and he was pointing out things he had built or worked on, like the town centre war memorial.”

Born in Great Dalby in June 1947, he attended the village school.

Alan worked on a country estate, off the road from Whissendine to Melton, as a young man.

He was a window cleaner there and odd job man and it was there that he met his wife, Mary, who was a groom.

The couple, who had two children – Andrew and Jacqueline – separated about 20 years ago but remained good friends.

Alan, who also leaves a grandson, Tyler (14), established a strong reputation as a self-employed builder.

Andrew said: “Dad was a perfectionist and had great attention to detail. He always went that extra mile on a job.”

He was also a keen photographer and painter.

Andrew added: “Literally a week before he passed dad was told the cancer had spread to his liver and he passed away only a few days later. He wasn’t in pain but it doesn’t make it any easier.

"People have been so kind since we lost him and we’ve had lots of messages, cards and flowers.”

A celebration of life for Alan is at Loughborough Crematorium on Tuesday (May 19) at 11am - the cortege will drive through Great Dalby so he can say a final goodbye.

A wake is at Thorpe Arnold Cricket Club from 1.15pm.