TRIBUTES have been paid to an entrepreneur and founder of a Colchester skip firm who has died aged 79. 

Terence Slade, known to many as Terry, was the founder of Colchester Skip Hire. 

A funeral for Mr Slade, who died in October, will be held at the Colchester United Football Stadium next month. 

Mr Slade founded Colchester Skip Hire in 1981 and saw it grow into a successful business. 

He was born in Barnardiston Road, Colchester in 1945, before later moving to Barn Hall where he attended Wilson Marriage School.

Retro - Terry (left) and his son MarkFamily - Terry (left) and his son Mark (Image: CSH) After leaving school, Terry had a varied career and always displayed his hardworking attitude.

In 1963, he married his late wife Patricia, and this was followed by the birth of his two children Caron in 1963 and Mark in 1968.

Terry and Patricia settled into family life with their children in Collingwood Road, Colchester, while he was working as a long-distance HGV driver in Europe.

Plot - a birds eye shot of CSHPlot - a birds eye shot of CSH (Image: CSH) A spokesman for CSH, said: "Terry’s passing is a tremendous loss for his family and friends but also to everyone he has encountered during his personal and working life.

"It was following a chance conversation with his neighbour Des in 1981 who had a brochure about skips and a unit that helps you lift the skip onto a transit van, and this was the start of Colchester Skip Hire.

"At the time Terry was working every other week as a long-distance driver, so he thought he could buy the skips and hire them out while he was away and then collect/deliver the week he was off.

"At the time, his wife Patricia was very doubtful and after he brought a further ten skips while she was at work one day, she told him he had thrown their savings away.

"Little did anyone think that Terry would become the ground-breaking entrepreneur of CSH Environmental group of companies with a state of the art 12-acre recycling centre with a fleet of 49 vehicles employing over a 100 people."

A funeral service will be held on Thursday December 5 at 2pm at The Layer Suite, Colchester United Football Stadium followed by a private Cremation.

Family flowers only, donations in memory of Mr Slade may be made to Macmillian Cancer Support. 

A link to the story of CSH and more about Terry's journey, can be found here - https://tinyurl.com/CSH-history