TRIBUTES have been paid to a stalwart of the Redditch community who died last week.

Peter John Grummett, the founder of Redditch Volunteer Corps (RVC) and much loved local milkman, died on Wednesday, July 28, aged 69.

Mr Grummett was born on May 10, 1941, but was initially not expected to survive as the placenta was delivered some time before him.

He was born deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other, and aged four, he contracted polio, and spent many of his formative years going in and out of hospital.

But despite having such a difficult start to life, Mr Grummett was determined to help others.

He wanted to join the RAF, like his brother, but was unable to because of his disability, so joined the civil defence and St John Ambulance in the late 50s He served with St John Ambulance as a first aider and driver until the mid-70s appearing at events such as carnivals, motocross meets and charity events.

He then formed the RVC, raising money through raffles, bingo, walks, charity football matches (often in drag) and ran a float every year at Redditch Carnival.

The RVC took elderly, mentally handicapped and disabled people out to clubs, pantomimes and for days out. The RVC continued into the early 80s.

During his varied working life, Mr Grummett had been a theatre projectionist, worked at HDA, British Aluminium, as a IT engineer for BXT and at various local pubs. But it was probably as the ever-cheerful milkman in Winyates, Matchborough and Church Hill, and later in Studley and Astwood Bank, that he was probably best known.

He was also a huge American Civil War enthusiast and started his own civil war group with many Redditch members, often appearing in the Advertiser.

A family spokesman said: “Peter Grummett was a charismatic man who always believed there was someone worse off than himself.

“He threw himself into many different things and was the type of person who inspired people around him to join him in whatever endeavour he was involved in - including enlisting help from Chris Tarrant.

“He was the kind of man that everybody remembered and was respected and loved by all who knew him.”