Tributes have been paid to a former Whitehaven harbour commissioner whose varied life saw him cross paths with royalty.

Gordon Thomson was a fishing and shooting enthusiast who developed his own site for shooting, and went on to run his own pest control business.

He was born to parents James and Jessie Thomson in Whitehaven and grew up in Bransty. Straight after school, he started work at the Edgards factory.

Daughter Kay said: "He left school on the Friday and he was excited because he thought he was going to get some time off. Then his mum said, 'I've got you a job at Edgards, you start on Monday' so he wasn't happy."

Mr Thomson did National Service at 18, serving in places including Egypt, Cyprus and Germany.

He later worked for British Rail, initially driving lorries before getting an office role.

He met his future wife Kathy, a friend of his sister, in 1956 and the couple had their first date on New Year's Eve.

The couple enjoyed a long courtship while saving up to buy a bungalow being built in Low Moresby, which would become their home for life.

They married in October 1962, and welcomed son David in 1963, and daughter Kay in 1964.

Mr Thomson spent about 40 years working for British Rail before taking redundancy.

He then decided on a total change of career, training to become a pest controller.

After a three-month wait to find out that he had passed his exams, Mr Thomson set up AA Pestroy, a business in which his son later joined him.

His business cards bore the slogan: "Half the price and twice as nice."

He ran the business for at least a quarter of a century, and was still working last month. The firm will now continue, run by his son.

Through a friendship with the then Lord Lieutenant John Wade, Mr Thomson got to meet Lord Lonsdale and, in the 1970s, found himself appointed as a Whitehaven harbour commissioner.

He oversaw changes going on at what was then a busy working harbour.

The role took him to Parliament when changes were wanted to an order affecting the harbour.

He eventually became chairman and, when an age restriction forced him to step down from the commissioner role, he was made honourary president.

Daughter Kay said: "He put a lot of hours in there but it was pleasure more than work."

Mr Thomson was a keen fishing and shooting enthusiast, and at one point he and his wife bought a piece of land at Pica which, as well as developing it to use for shoots, he did a range of conservation work on. His efforts led to him being shortlisted for a conservation award, leading to a visit from the Duchess of Devonshire who was judging the competition.

It wasn't his only brush with royalty, as he met the Queen and Prince Philip during a visit to the harbour, and he and his wife were once invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party.

He also enjoyed squash, playing two or three times a week for a time, then once a week in more recent times.

His love of fishing transferred to his grandson Jake, 10, and they enjoyed a holiday to Tenerife in October to fish together.

Kathy said: "He was just lovely. It didn't matter who people were, he had time for them. He was very much a people person."

Kay added: "He walked around the harbour with the Queen and Prince Philip when they came and he didn't put on any airs and graces. In all the sympathy cards the word gentleman came up."

Mr Thomson died at the West Cumberland Hospital on New Year's Day after a bout of pneumonia.

Hundreds of people attended his funeral at St James' Church on Thursday, January 10.

Donations in his memory can be made to the RNLI via Eaves Funeral Service, Whitehaven.