HUNDREDS of mourners gathered to pay their respects and say their final goodbyes to an avid anti-knife campaigner and “hero” father.

Family and friends came together at Chelmsford Cathedral for the funeral of Trevor Woolley, 47, who died in America in September.

Bagpipes played and prison officer colleagues of Mr Woolley, who worked at HMP Chelmsford, lined up in respect as his coffin was carried into the cathedral, where the service was performed by Father James Ridge.

During the service, a tribute from Mr Woolley’s mother, Iris Miles, said she would “miss you every day of my life, until we meet again”, while his sisters, Emma Woolley and Sharon Bliss, named their beloved brother their “hero”.

A tribute from his mum Iris Miles,  read during the service, said: “My precious son.

“I love and miss you so much. My heart is broken.

“I will miss you every day of my life, until we meet again. Love you forever.”

On behalf of her family following the service she added:  “As a family we are so proud of Trevor.

“It was so touching to see how many lives Trevor's life had touched and how much he meant to so many people.

“We would like to say our heatfelt thanks to all of Trevor's friends and colleagues at the Prison who made Trevor's service so special for him.

“We couldn't have wished for his service to have been any more of a tribute to the man that he was than they showed at the funeral.”

Paul, Mr Woolley’s eldest son, delivered a touching eulogy, speaking movingly of how his father was an “inspiration” and reading the Dash, a poem by Linda Ellis, while prison officer Mike Smith also paid his respects.

Paul said: “Dad, I love you. In life you have been my biggest inspiration. Although I am sad you had to leave us, I take comfort in knowing you are now with our dear Ash.

“I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support during this hard time.”

He added: “It was a lovely turn out, We all did my dad proud.”

Trevor’s sisters Emma Woolley and Sharon Bliss said: “Thank you for being our hero. “You looked out for us and were always there for us when we needed you.

“You are the best brother we could of wished for.

“Through good times or bad we could always rely on you to be the strong influence in our lives that would take on the responsibility of things we couldn't handle ourselves without any hesitation.

“You always made us smile with your amazing sense of humour.

“We are so proud to call you our brother. We love and miss you beyond words.”

Mr Woolley, from Witham, became an avid anti-knife campaigner following the death of his son Ashley Woolley, 18. The Chelmsford College student was murdered by classmate Steven Davenport in Oaklands Park, in Chelmsford, in December 2014.

Although Ashley’s death devastated his family, Mr Woolley vowed to do his best to combat knife crime in the city and across Essex, joining the anti-weapon charity Only Cowards Carry.

He was involved in bringing knife amnesty boxes, which enable knife carriers to hand in their weapons to police with no questions asked, to Chelmsford, Basildon, Braintree, Colchester and Tendring.

Mr Woolley also began his own campaign, supported by the Weekly News, to encourage people to give blood in memory of Ashley, who received ten pints of blood during the battle to save his life.

In honour of the Give Ten Pints for Ashley campaign, which saw more than 70 people donate at its first dedicated donation session, many members of the funeral congregation wore red.