More than 400 mourners attended a memorial for Roy Pratt MBE, the founder of the Imps motorcycle display team.
The funeral procession and memorial ceremony on June 13 honoured Roy, who died in May aged 86, after he dedicated his life to helping thousands of young people.
The event started at the Imps' base in Folkestone Road, East Ham, where the current team and their chaperones formed a guard of honour.
A motorcycle cavalcade of tribute t-shirt-wearing riders, and a police escort, were also part of the occasion.
Roy's coffin arrived at the church in a Land Rover Defender hearse, accompanied by black and silver Rolls Royces.
A lone piper played, providing a nod to Roy's military past with the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders.
The church service, led by Revd Anne Easter, featured personal reflections and tributes.
Jamie Waller, a former Imp from the 1980s, gave an emotional eulogy, detailing Roy's life from his wartime childhood and military career, to his police work that inspired him to help vulnerable children.
He said: "Roy, your service is complete.
"You served your country.
"You served your church.
"You served all of us.
"Your legacy lives on, in the Imps, in the lives you’ve touched, and in the people we are because of you."
His friend Gill Swain and Imps co-founder Brian Stewart also shared readings and tributes.
The ceremony closed with a rendition of the Last Post by a trumpeter.
After the church service, attendees returned to the Imps base for a memorial celebration, sharing memories and stories of Roy.
Over the years, Roy and the Imps have supported more than 2,500 children and affected more than 4,000 families.
Donations in his memory are being collected to support the future of the Imps via the Imps Start Trust.
Share