Celebrity Paul O’Grady will be laid to rest today after a funeral service in Adlington, Kent. The service will be held this afternoon, featuring a guard of honour with dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
The funeral procession will carry O’Grady’s coffin through his home town of Aldington before heading to the church for a private service. The route has been planned as a way of marking Paul’s affection for the area. Residents are invited to stand on Roman Road, Forge Hill or New Road Hill between 2.10pm and 2.45pm.
Paul O’Grady lived in Aldington, near Ashford, for more than 20 years and was a well-known face in the village. According to reports, he attended summer fetes, supported the primary school and last year judged a local dog show held on the village green.
It is well known that Paul was an ambassador for the dogs home, as well as filming his award-winning show Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have paid tribute to their ambassador, with over £270,000 being raised for the charity since his passing.
Battersea Chief Executive, Peter Laurie said “To many, Paul O’Grady was the immensely popular TV and radio presenter and comedian who lit up their screens with his razor-sharp humour and perpetual generosity and warmth. Battersea will forever remember Paul as a devoted animal lover with the biggest heart, who fell head over heels in love with every dog he met at our centres. Paul will always be associated with Battersea and we are truly saddened to have lost such a true friend and huge part of our charity.”
The Salvation Army Band is expected to play during the private service on Thursday. Paul worked with The Salvation Army and filmed a series with them called ” The Sally Army and Me“.
The Salvation Army said ““We are thankful and grateful for the many years of support Paul has given both publicly and privately to The Salvation Army’s work with the most vulnerable in society. We will forever remember both his humour and his humanity and will miss him dearly.”
