A memorial service is to be held next month to remember a much-loved great-grandfather who raised thousands for charity.

Brian Keable became the second patient to pass away at Beccles Hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the early months of the pandemic in April 2020.

With the country in lockdown, only a small number of people were able to attend the Aldeby engineer's funeral at the time.

Now, to mark the second anniversary of his death, his family have announced a memorial service will be held at noon on April 20 at St Michael's Church in Beccles.

The 83-year-old had battled prostate cancer for more than a year before being diagnosed with Parkinson's shortly before Christmas in 2019.

Mr Keable was a keen charity fundraiser, completing the Bungay Half Marathon, the 1999 London Marathon, the Three Peaks in the Yorkshire Dales, and a 50-mile bike ride, all for local causes.

The former Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer was a member of the Beccles branch of the Royal Naval Association.

Paying tribute following his death, his daughter Georgie Keable said: "Typically for this area, Dad didn’t end up moving very far around Beccles, and he was always very involved in the community and knew a lot of people.

"He completed the Coast to Coast to raise money for Beccles Hospital.

"In Aldeby, he was on the parish council and church warden, and was the last landlord of the Tuns.

"He was one of the founders of the Raveningham Threshing Fair and ran it for years and years.

“He joined the Navy and was there for 10 years, during which time he met my mum and had my brother and sister.

“It gave him the chance to travel all over the world.

“He owned Keable Engineering, in Aldeby, and was a brilliant engineer. He could make anything from scratch.

“He was a great father. He worked from home in his garage where he would always be making a lot of noise.

“We used to do everything together. There was always something going on, whether he was explaining his engineering to me or taking me to swimming lessons."

Mr Keable lost his wife Margaret in 2000, and his daughter Samanda Ford in 2019. He remarried in 2006 after meeting Doreen and leaves behind son Kevin and daughter Georgie.