Hundreds turn out for funeral of Dr Albert Grant, Ipswich's first black mayor
ITV News Anglia's Tanya Mercer was at the funeral in Ipswich
Hundreds of people turned out in Ipswich for the funeral of former mayor Dr Albert Grant OBE.
The community leader, who served as Ipswich's first black mayor between 1995 and 1996, died at the age of 89.
On Thursday, people came together in Ipswich as his coffin, which was draped in the flag of Barbados, was led into the church.
Dr Grant was born in 1934 in Barbados and settled in Ipswich when he moved to the UK with his wife Ena at the age of 21 in 1955.
He was first elected as an Ipswich Borough councillor in the mid-1980s and represented the area for a total of 26 years, retiring from the council in 2016.
He took office as mayor of Ipswich in 1995-1996, becoming the town’s first black mayor.
ITV News Anglia spoke to Dr Albert Grant in 2000 as part of a special report about the Caribbean community in Ipswich
Well-known and highly respected as a community leader, Dr Grant worked with many people and organisations to improve the lives of others and integrate communities.
He was one of the founders of the Ipswich Caribbean Association and the Ipswich and Suffolk West Indian Association, as well as a founder and later trustee of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality.
His work for community relations in the town was recognised in 2000 when he was made an OBE for services to the Ipswich community.
He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Suffolk in October 2021.
Friend Christine Knight, who officiated at the service, said: "He was somebody who dedicated his life to what he believed in. He has left a legacy of working together, bringing the community together. It was never about one race.
"It was about the whole. And it’s great the community can now show their love, their support for a man who did so much for them."
One of Dr Grant's friends, Hamil Clarke, said he was "a pioneer."
He added: "He believed in three things - politics, education and equality. And those three thing occupied his life more than anything else. He made it much easier for those who followed him."
Phanuel Mutumburi, director of Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, said: "Albert is someone you’d describe as an icon. When people say they are standing on the shoulders of giants they are talking about people like Albert.
"He was someone who brought people together. Community cohesion was at the heart of everything Albert did. And we’re so proud that he’s left a legacy where we’re all coming together as different communities."
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