Distraught mourners packed a Colchester church yesterday to remember tragic London bomb blast victim John Light.

Hundreds of friends, family and former colleagues of "life and soul" Mr Light gathered at the Wimpole Road Methodist Church for a moving ceremony which left many in tears.

Mr Light died in the horrific bomb blast on April 30 at the Admiral Duncan pub in Old Compton Street, London.

Mr Light, of Mill Street, Colchester, died along with his friend, 27-year-old Andrea Dykes, who was carrying her husband Julian's child.

Their friend, Nick Moore, 31, of north London, also died. His funeral was held on Friday.

Mr Dykes, of Taragona Mews, off Holt Drive, Colchester, is still unconscious in hospital recovering from nail puncture injuries, unaware of the grim news about his wife, child and friends.

Just weeks before the group, and other friend and survivor Gary Partridge, met for the ill-fated West End theatre trip, the Dykes had asked Mr Light, 32, to be their unborn child's godfather.

He worked as deputy manager at the Gala Bingo club in Osborne Street, Colchester. During the emotional service today his former boss David Groves read a poem written by staff at Gala in Wokingham where Mr Light was general manager five months ago.

Mr Partridge is recovering in Broomfield Hospital's specialist burns unit.

Mourners pay their respects as the coffin is borne into the church at the funeral of John Light yesterday

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.