Hundreds are expected to attend the funeral of a much-loved former publican next week.
Friends and family will gather to remember Archie Dryden, with others lining the streets of Dover to pay their respects as the cortege passes pubs in the town.
The dad-of-four died last month, aged 67, a week after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
He was immensely popular and well known in the town, and a crowdfunding page for his funeral, set up on November 20, ended up with 125 donations. It neared its £5,000 target in its first five days.
His daughter, Charley Dryden, says all are welcome at the service on Tuesday, which will also be filmed.
“Please all wear what you feel comfortable with — no particular dress code — but remember Dad loved West Ham,” she said.
“There will be an online stream posted in due course.”
The funeral cortege will leave between 12.15pm and 12.30pm, moving through Market Square before travelling past the Elephant and Hind, Eight Bells, Golden Lion, Prince Albert and Old Endeavour pubs. The latter was once run by Mr Dryden.
It will be a small procession, comprising just the hearse and one limousine of family members.
The funeral service is at Barham Crematorium at 1pm, and the wake follows at Dover Working Men’s Club and Pool Room (DWMCPR) in London Road. All are welcome at both venues.
Mr Dryden lived in Whitfield and was the father of footballer Jimmy Dryden, who played for Dover Athletic and Folkestone Invicta in the 2000s.
He was a member of DWMCPR and took part in East Kent Sunday League and Wednesday League football in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for and managed Dover pub and bar teams, including the Lord Nelson, Raffles and Bluffs.
In his working life, Mr Dryden was in the hospitality industry, running Bluffs Wine Bar in Castle Street, Dover, in the 1990s.
He was landlord of the Old Endeavour pub in the town’s London Road in the mid-2000s.
Before retirement, he was a groundsman at the new Richmond Park housing development in Whitfield. Afterwards, he worked part-time as a van driver.
