THE life of a respected Kent businessman who rose from messenger boy to the boardroom was remembered at a special church service in his home village.

After a private funeral, more than 50 family members, carers, friends and former colleagues gathered for a service of thanksgiving at the church of St James the Great in East Malling to honour Wynford Jones, the former chief executive of Business Link Kent and the Enterprise Agency of East Kent.

Mr Jones, a widower, died on July 21 at the age of 67. He had been suffering from a liver condition.

He left school at 16 to become a messenger boy at Ford in Dagenham. But his career was interrupted by two years National Service in the Army.

He rose to the rank of sergeant but turned down a chance to stay on, preferring instead to return to Ford as a junior draughtsman.

After studying for a business degree at night school over a period of eight years, he was promoted to senior management.

He took early retirement from Ford at the age of 55 to become chief executive of the Enterprise Agency of East Kent, based in Canterbury, before moving on to set up Business Link Kent in Kings Hill, West Malling, in 1995.

He was involved in the formation of the Learning and Business Link Company, a pioneering attempt to unite business support in the county.

Mr Jones and his family moved to East Malling in 1977. He was active in the local Conservative Association, founded the East Malling Conservation Association and served as a parish councillor.

In his address, the Rev James Brown spoke of a "most full life" and "a fine and honourable man who still had so much to offer”. He urged the congregation to "remember what Mr Jones was like in his prime”.

He added: "He was a naturally shy man, solid and reliable, selfless and unassuming. Though he was highly successful, he never bragged. There were few business people in Kent and Medway whose lives were untouched by Wynford Jones in the 1990s."