The Cathedral in St Asaph was filled to the brim for the funeral of former County architect, show yard director for the Denbigh and Flint and chair of the St Brigid’s Trust Philip Eyton-Jones.

Mr Eyton-Jones died in November after a short illness aged 77. The funeral took place on November 27.

Headteacher of St Bridgid’s, Rona Jones said: “Half the school were there, with lots of the staff attending as well as a number of former pupils.

“The cathedral was packed, there were people having to stand at the back, it was very, very busy.

“In the eulogy they talked about all the things he did, Caernarfon Museum, the Church in Wales, the Denbigh and Flint show, the cadets, there were so many attending from those areas as well as his family and friends.

“It was a lovely service and was really fitting for him. It really showed the type of person he was - the message that came out was that he always had time for helping people despite all these things he had going on.

“He was a huge part of the school. He was the chair of the trust, and he saved the school from closure, and was hugely instrumental in the life of the school, and that’s why so many past pupils came to his funeral.”

Mr Eyton-Jones’s daughter said her father’s life was dedicated to public service.
Jane said: “He worked in Denbighshire and Flintshire before it was Clwyd and was then Director of Architecture, Planning and Estates for Clwyd.

“He was involved in Shire Hall in Mold, Theatr Clwyd and the Law Courts, and after his retirement, he did the halfway house cafe on Snowdon.

“He was instrumental in saving St Brigid’s when the nuns were closing the Convent, he was the one who came up with the plan and found somebody to buy the buildings. He set up the trust, starting it off as an independent school in 1990 and then he applied for and pushed through getting it grant maintained status in 1996 when it became a state boarding school.

“He was chair of the governors for 20 or so years until a few years ago and chair of the trust until this year. The school wouldn’t be there without him.

“For no payment he did all this for the school, and for a lot of grief to be honest, there were lots of battles with organisations, but the families and the pupils of those who have attended since 1990 will all, and I have no fear in saying this, express their gratitude.

“There was also his military side, he was in the TA and involved in the Cadets. He set up the cadet force at school including, the country’s first all-girl army cadet unit at St Brigid’s. he also drew up plans for the First World War trenches in Bodelwyddan.

“The main thing everyone always said is he was a true gentleman.”