Mourners flocked to a Purton church to pay tribute to a man who raised more than £110,000 for research and treatment into a rare cancer.

Pete Holland, who ran the fundraising appeal with his wife Jeannette, fought myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, for more than four years.

He died on November 9, the day before his 58th birthday and their fourth wedding anniversary. They had been together for 15 years

Mourners packed St Mary's Church on Monday, and the service was relayed to more than 100 people outside. The vicar Brian Fessey said: "Peter's was a special life, an extraordinary life.''

The eldest of a family of six, Mr Holland lived in Paraguay as a child and later worked in Brazil. His brother Matt, the founder and organiser of Swindon Festival of Literature, told mourners: "He had a real hunger for life. He worked hard and played hard. He was an ace horse breaker who not only knew how to use a lassoo but how to make one.''

Mr Holland, with his brother John, set up skip and recycling firm Holland Handling and he was a strong campaigner on environmental issues. He and Jeannette married three months after he was diagnosed with myeloma.

Mr Holland spent several long spells at PMH, and months in isolation at Hammersmith Hospital in London, where he had chemotherapy to prepare him for an infusion of stem cells donated by Matt.

The family has asked for donations to be sent to the International Myeloma Foundation or to Mr Holland's own Myeloma Research Fund, care of funeral directors Hilliers, in Swindon.