Funeral of Scarborough musician Baz Hampshire celebrates his life
He passed away on the 21st of December aged 85
Today the life of a well-known Scarborough musician will be celebrated.
It is the funeral of Baz Hampshire who passed away on the 21st of December aged 85.
Organisers say there is no real dress code - sombre to normal to casual to garish, dress to feel comfortable like at one of his gigs.
His son, Chris Hampshire, said:
"I'm sure there'll be a few tears but Baz lived for laughter, fun and music and that's what we're hoping it'll be. It's his last ever gig. I'm almost looking forward to it and I can't say it's going to be the greatest day of life but it's our chance to give Baz a really good send off, just as he wanted I hope.
"Baz just took on the role of frontman with utter aplomb. He was superb and great at getting people going up, getting audiences to enjoy themselves and having a good time. He had a fantastic smile, a great beaming grin on his face which was sort of infectious and he'd wear sort of garish costumes.
"There's an awful lot of people to thank. Some of Scarborough's top musicians are going to be there to do the New Orleans band and I'm really grateful to them. I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people who've contacted me to say what Baz meant to them and how much they influenced their life and what a great guy he was."
Masks are compulsory in Woodlands Crematorium though, with seats for 90 people and a display screen outside if there are too many people at the service which starts at 12pm.
Baz will be taken on a last ride around Scarborough starting at 11.20am. The route will be along Northway and across the Valley Bridge, left down Ramshill Road and along the Foreshore, round the Marine Drive, up Northstead Manor Drive, along Manor Road and Woodlands Ravine.
Chris added:
"We're hoping that people who can't go there will be able to see him go past. It's really for Baz's benefit as it's a town he loved. He spends all his life there. We're going to have his old Indian headdress on top of the coffin with his saxophone, both real emblems of Baz.
"If you can't make the funeral and you're out, please give him a wave and a shout as he goes by. It would be lovely to see you and I'll wave back if nobody else does because he can't. It's his last ride around Scarborough and I hope it brings back some memories for some people when they see him going around."
Organisers say please bring flowers if you wish, however donations in lieu to the Fishermans & Firemans Charity Fund would be preferred. There will be donation buckets/boxes at the Crem.
For those unable to attend there will be a live webcast of Baz's funeral, details set out below.
Username foxo7905
Password 788371
Service Date Friday 14th January
Service Time 12:00pm
Service Viewing Time 11:55am - 12:43pm
Website https://watch.obitus.com
Once the viewing window has passed the live webcast will then automatically close and a message will appear saying "This funeral service has now finished".