A CONGREGATION of several hundred gathered last week at St Mary’s Parish Church, Ambleside for the funeral of Malcolm Tyson, who has died at the age of 89.

Known to many personally as a wise and generous friend, Mr Tyson’s enormous service to the community over many years through various charities and local organisations earned him the title of ‘Mr Ambleside’, which was reflected in eulogies given at the funeral by Bill Bewley, Sean Barton and Brian Hewitt.

Born in 1929 in Bowness, Mr Tyson went to Windermere Grammar School and at 16 he joined the family shoe shop and repair business which had been started in Bowness by his grandfather back in 1887.

In 1944, his father decided to open a shoe shop in Market Place, Ambleside where Mr Tyson learned the trade while his brother Colin worked in the Bowness shop.

Over the years, the Ambleside shop gradually evolved from shoe repair to selling top quality boots and shoes, and held the agency for both K Shoes and Clarks.

Mr Tyson met his wife-to-be Elsie at a dance in Bowness and they were married almost 65 years.

The couple and their three children Helen, Graham and Tilly lived over the Ambleside shop, which Mr Tyson took over in 1957 following the death of his father, and they remained there until 1981 when they moved to Lake Road.

In 1969, he decided to drive round Europe for his summer holiday, and as he travelled through France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland, he called in at countless mountain villages to ask who made the best mountain boots.

This led to close ties being established with Swiss bootmakers Raichle, where the Union Flag was flown whenever he subsequently visited.

He also imported boots from manufacturers Meindl and Lowa and shoes made by Mephiston and the business’s reputation as a specialist supplier of British and European footwear remains today, with fourth generation Graham Tyson and Tilly Benson succeeding their father.

However, Mr Tyson also had many other interests outside the world of work.

Throughout his life, he was passionate about motorbikes and cars, both as a trial rider, scrambler and car rally enthusiast.

He knew personally many of the top names in motorsport and helped the legendary Geoff Duke during time trials in the Isle of Man TT races in the 1950s.

Mr Tyson was also immensely proud to own one of the first BMWs in the North West of England, bought in 1965 for £1,686.

He took part in the Monte Carlo rally and was chief marshal in the Grizedale stages of the RAC rally for some years.

Mr Tyson was also hugely respected for his charity and community work and raised thousands of pounds for good causes.

He was a founder member of the Rotary Club of Ambleside in 1964 and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship.

In addition, his chairmanship of the Kelsick Trust from 1991-2004 propelled the educational foundation into the 21st century, and he was also a school governor and chair of Ambleside’s historic Association for the Prosecution of Felons.

And countless local organisations and charities benefitted from his energy and stamina, including the Rosemere Cancer Foundation, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital cancer ward and CancerCare.

His funeral was followed by burial in St Mary’s churchyard, and he is survived by his wife Elsie, his three children and four grandchildren.