WELL-KNOWN and respected local farmer, John Gillett of Gulworthy, has died aged 77 after a long battle with illness.

Mr Gillett farmed at Gulworthy for 30 years and was the driving force behind the Friends of Urambo and Mwanhala, being the honorary secretary from 1964 until the mid 90s.

The FUM was formed to continue a link which had been established between Devon and Tanzania during the Freedom from Hunger Campaign in 1962, supporting two farmers' training centres in the Tabora Region of Tanzania.

Devon-based FUM has continued to support these communities ever since and Mr Gillett was its inspiration. Based at a tiny office on his farm, he worked tirelessly to raise funds and provide support to help the people of Tanzania — assisting the improvement of agricultural methods, health and education.

Until his retirement from farming in 1987, Mr Gillett combined both very demanding activities and, together with his wife, Priscilla, spent a large proportion of his time travelling and giving slide talks and attending fund-raising events for the FUM.

After his retirement from the post of secretary of FUM due to ill health, he and his wife continued with a number of small projects and were delighted to see a younger generation of FUM members developing school links and many other ongoing projects in Tanzania.

Mr Gillett will be remembered as a gentle and caring man. He had a deep faith and a love of his family, which kept him battling right to the end of his long illness. The support of his wife was a great comfort during this difficult time.

He will also be remembered for his links with Tanzania and his relentless pursuit of trying to help the understanding between nations, persisting in the face of problems which most would have found insurmountable.

There will be a private funeral service, with a memorial service being held at st Eustachius Church, Tavistock on Saturday, May 11.