The funeral takes place for a popular former head teacher next week.

Mourners will be able to pay their last respects to Alan Reay at Barham Crematorium from 4.40pm on Thursday, October 14.

The much-loved husband and father died suddenly at the age of 93 on September 25.

Alan Reay's teaching career stretched from the 1950s to 1980s and his last post was as head of Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School near Deal.

A family statement said: "He was very creative, writing children’s stories as well as adult short stories and poetry.

"He also drew and painted using all mediums from water colour, oil to pastel and charcoal."

After National Service, Mr Reay trained as a PE teacher at Loughborough College in Leicestershire, where he was an all-round athlete and played rugby, boxed, ran and swam at a competitive level.

He started his career at Chatham Boys’ School and moved to St Barts’ School, Dover, where he met Eileen Cox and they married in 1955.

In 1958 they emigrated to Canada with their first daughter to teach initially in a two-room school in a logging settlement in the Rocky Mountain Trench.

He went on to become principal of King George V School in Prince George, British Columbia.

By 1968 the couple had three daughters and returned to Kent.

Mr Reay taught at Astor School, Dover and Warden House School, Deal, and finally was in charge of Kingsdown and Ringwould school from 1980 to 1988.

Alan Reay is survived by his wife and three children.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal