An entrepreneur who was born in a fairground wagon and went on to become Mayor of Swale has died, aged 88.

Former Swale mayor Ben Stokes (Con), who died last month, forged a successful business running slot machine arcades in Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey. But he had known hard times.

He was born in a fairground wagon in Ealing, London, on April 1, 1934. His parents Ben and Helen Stokes were travelling show people with Romany heritage.

Ben's grandfather John Stokes had been a bare-knuckle fighter in South Wales during the early 1900s and went on to found the Colosseum boxing pavilion. Ben's own father also owned and operated a travelling boxing booth during the 1930s.

During his time in London, Ben met the infamous Kray twins and was often seen at their billiard hall in Mile End Road, east London.

According to Ben's son, also Ben, his father once attended a party at Reggie Kray's flat. Ben Junior said: "The party was very busy but he managed to spot a space on a sofa next to a man sitting on his own.

"He was about to sit down when a friend took his arm and advised him not to sit next to the man as he had upset the Krays and was going to be shot in the leg. Needless to say, he found another place to sit."

These and other remarkable tales are likely to be told at Ben's funeral service at the Garden of England cemetery at Bobbing on Tuesday, January 3.

Ben Senior became a close friend of Reggie's Kray's minder, the former boxer Tommy 'The Bear' Brown, who was married to the cousin of Ben's first wife, childhood sweetheart Pat.

Pat's grandmother Stella had been a fairground fortune-teller and used to read Ronnie Kray's palm. But Ben Junior commented: "She might have missed the part about the twins being sentenced to jail for 30 years."

Ben's early life, along with his elder brother John and younger sister Jane, was spent growing up in travelling fairgrounds during the Second World War.

The family moved to the Buckinghamshire countryside during the Blitz and Ben often told stories of German bombs falling in the nearby fields.

Ben and his family became associated with the famous Billy Smart's Circus and travelled around London and the Home Counties for many years supporting the Big Top with their fairground rides.

He became firm friends with Billy Smart Junior and often assisted in handling the wild animals, once almost letting a lion escape from its cage.

He met and went on to marry Pat, also a west Londoner, when he was 19.

Ben Junior said: "The newlyweds were very poor and one day, not long after they were married, my father took his last shilling and threw it into the road telling his wife 'That's it babe, we've got nothing now, the only way is up.' With this statement, he vowed to change their circumstances for the better."

During the 1960s, Ben and Pat moved to Wales where they continued to operate their fairground equipment before hearing of a business opportunity on Sheppey.

Ben began renting an arcade from fellow showman Henry Forrest and within a few years had bought the business.

His father Ben Senior joined him and soon Ben could buy more land and expand. His son Benjamin was born in 1973 and Ben and Pat bought a bungalow in Bay View.

In 1989, Ben had a new home built and not long after, joined Leysdown parish council, eventually becoming its chairman.

Ben and Pat were married for more than 40 years until Pat died suddenly in 1995 while on holiday in Greece. Ben Junior said: "My father was devastated. It was a loss that he never really recovered from."

In 2001, Ben met his future partner Sylvie Bennett at a Conservative party function in Upchurch and with their shared interest in politics, they entered into a new era. Both became councillors.

Ben joined Swale council in 2004 as member for Iwade, Lower Halstow and Bobbing and became mayor of Swale in 2011-2012 where he supported a number of good causes including the Kent Air Ambulance, RNLI and cancer support.

He was also a founder member of the Leysdown Traders' Association, Kemsley village hall committee and a school governor for Iwade and Lower Halstow.

In 2019, he was made honorary alderman for his years of public service and then moved to Somerset with Sylvie to be near his son and five grandchildren Ben, Joseph, Alexis, Finn and Seraphim.

Ben Junior said: "It gave him a new lease of life. He could often be found playing with the children, reading to them and running around in his garden. He looked forward to these times, sitting around making each other laugh and watching Dad's Army on the television."

The funeral is being organised by R High & Sons of Sittingbourne. The service will be taken by retired priest Father Colin Johnson.