THERE have been many tributes to Cecil Duckworth in this newspaper and elsewhere over the last couple of weeks, and rightly so. I knew him and worked on a few projects with him for more than 20 years.

There has been much talk of the fantastic rugby club he built, and rightly so. But he did so much more for the city.

He started the Duckworth Trust. The fountains on South Quay were his idea. He paid for the work, and they have become one of the main focal spots of Worcester.

He bought some of Chapter Meadow from which his wardens launch many eco and clean-up projects. He turned the Pump House into a major eco-project through the trust, which also funds the Worcester Resource Exchange.

He put energy and money into helping restart the Worcester Carnival. He supported the Swan Youth Theatre, specifically offering funding to disadvantaged students and giving to help former Youth Theatre students in funding their way through drama school.

And also… well, I suspect that there are probably hundreds of good things that he did that most people don’t know about.

Supported by his wonderful wife Beatrice, he did so many good things for so many people, and for Worcester.

And yet, he was always a quiet, kind, modest, unassuming man. He will be sorely missed. RIP Cecil.