HUNDREDS of people lined the city’s streets this morning to say their final goodbye to the former Worcester Warriors club president and Worcester Bosch founder Cecil Duckworth CBE.

Mr Duckworth died aged 83 on Sunday, November 15, following a short battle with illness.

His funeral was held earlier today, but before he was cremated in a private ceremony, the much-loved philanthropist made his final tour around the city.

His procession began at Acorns Children’s Hospice in St Peter’s at 10.15am, where Mr Duckworth was a key backer of the hospice, helping them care for seriously ill children and their families.

After hearing about the charity through a family friend, Mr Duckworth saw a need in the local area and helped establish Acorns in Bath Road in 2005.
A crowd of Acorns staff, nurses and volunteers paid their respects as the procession moved along Bath Road, alongside a banner which read: “Thank you Cecil Duckworth CBE, from your Acorns family. Your vision and generosity made this Worcester children’s hospice possible.”

Among those paying tribute was Acorns chief executive, Toby Porter.

He said: “This has been a very poignant day, but also a celebration of a truly great person.

“It was a tremendous privilege for us to be able to pay our respects in this special way and today was a reflection of how much Cecil’s phenomenal vision and generosity means to Acorns.”

Dozens of people then paid their respects to Mr Duckworth in the city centre.

Nigel Collis had known Mr Duckworth since 1976 when he joined Mr Duckworth’s Worcester Engineering Company as finance director.

Mr Duckworth went on to sell Worcester Engineering to Bosch in 1992.

Mr Collis, who paid his respects at the cathedral, said: “I joined as finance director in 1976 and I left as finance director.

“Cecil was a massive influence on my life, and he had a positive impact on everyone he met.

“I think he’s one of the few people who you could say has left the world a better place.

“We in Worcester should be very honoured to have him as a citizen – of course you have to remember he came from Macclesfield with a big family who didn’t have any special privileges in life, and he made it himself and he made it for other people.

“He could have done a million things after his success, but he stuck by his old friends and he never ever turned his back on them.”

Mr Duckworth was taken past Worcestershire County Cricket Club on New Road at 10.30am, and he arrived at Worcester Bosch at around 10.55am where staff and residents gathered outside of the building to give a round of applause to the man who founded the company.

The tour concluded at Sixways stadium, the home of Worcester Warriors, where players and staff paid their respects outside of the ground.