"He was always there for us": Cubbington pays tribute to its beloved vicar The Reverend Graham Coles

Cubbington residents have paid tribute to beloved village vicar The Reverend Graham Coles.

Reverend Graham, as he is most affectionately known, died peacefully at his home on Friday (Ferbruary 4) aged 61 after a long and brave battle with cancer.

He had been the vicar at St Mary's since March 2012 and lived with his family at The Vicarage in the village.

He had formerly been the curate at St Mary Magdalene church in Lillington.

Reverend Graham was so loved in the village that during lockdown last year villagers railed around to raise tens of thousands of pounds to pay for emergency treatment for him donating to and buying tickets for an online raffle.

And residents have spoken about how much he helped them and touched their lives.

David Saul, vice chairman of Cubbington Parish Council, said: "The whole community is in mourning

"Reverend Graham inspired so many with the work he did in the community and, on a personal level, he was there so many times at the hospital with my ailing wife Theresa supporting her and myself before she passed away and also helping my son Richard with the loss of his wife and our beloved daughter-in-law Susanna before that.

"He was always there for us.

"The comfort he gave us will never be forgotten nor the support his wife Sam has given to our community.

"I can't emphasise enough how heartbreaking this loss is.

"The way he bore his illness with dignity - particularly in the last two years when people were isolated and lonely - and helped others through his commitment to God was amazing.

"One can always be assured you are never lonely with God.

"I will never ever forget him and I pay respects to him every day in prayer."

Reverend Graham had been battling with cancer since 2001 and, despite being given the 'all clear' in 2012, 2020 was a particularly challenging year as he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on the left side of his tongue.

His family had set up a fundraising page to pay for potentially life-saving treatment, not wanting to be any burden on the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic - and the village raffle helped to raise tens of thousands of pounds for this.

Graham also served as a parish councillor, the president of the Village Hall Committee, a member of the Pavillion Committee and as a governor for Cubbington CofE Primary School.

Juliet Jones, the school's headteacher, said: "It is such a tragic loss for the whole Cubbington community and Reverend Graham will be sorely missed by so many.

"We have lost someone of great experience who was passionate about our school and who always placed the needs of the children first.

"Reverend Graham ensured that the work of the governing body was informed by and consistent with our Christian values and he was always a voice of reason in the decisions that we made.

"His insight, compassion and, above all else, his faith became part of the fabric of the school and the whole Cubbington community and will live on in all that we do in the future.

Reverend Graham's family and the church will give tribute to him once the arrangements and details of his funeral are all in order next week.