The life of one of the world's leading classic rose growers was celebrated with good humour and fond tributes at a packed Norfolk church yesterday.

Hundreds of people, including friends and relatives, packed into St Mary's Church in Attleborough to remember award winning horticulturalist Peter Beales, the founder of Peter Beales Roses, who died aged 76 at the end of January.

The Rev Matthew Jackson, rector of St Mary's, led the service, while hymns were selected to reflect Mr Beales' love of the outdoors including Morning Has Broken and We Plough The Fields and Scatter.

Rev Jackson reflected on Banningham-born Mr Beales' life and achievements from when he first fell in love with a Dorothy Perkins rose while in the garden as a child to the awards he received, which included 19 gold medals at the Chelse Flower Show and the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour.

Rev Jackson added: 'He was perhaps one of the most thoughtful, generous and selfless people you could ever know.'

There was then a humourous interlude as a shipping forecast was played- something Mr Beales had wanted at his funeral- before Rev Jackson read out a speech from Steve Message, a close friend of Mr Beales, who told an amusing story about how the friends and their partners, were thinking of buying a house together in Lightwater, Surrey but did not have enough money.

Rev Jackson also read a speech from his son Richard, now the managing director of Peter Beales Roses, who spoke of how he did not realise how respected his father was around the world until recently.

He paid tribute to his father's 'generosity, selflessness and integrity,' while Richard's sister Amanda, spoke of the loss the family felt after his death and the recent death of their mother Joan in September.

She said: 'Both worked hard for their achievements and the hole left in our lives will never be filled.'

As well as the two children, Mr Beales also had four grandchildren.