Thousands turn out for last farewell to Savile

JIMMY SAVILE “brought a little bit of magic and sparkle to everybody that he met”, mourners at his funeral service were told yesterday.

TV and radio colleagues joined Savile’s family and friends in St Anne’sCathedral, Leeds, for a Requiem Mass as thousands of well-wishers watched outside on big screens.

Addressing the packed church, the Rt RevMonsignor Kieran Heskin said: “Jimmy Savile can faceeternal life with confidence.

“His life story was an epic of giving — giving of time, giving of talent, giving of treasure.”

Alison Graham, of Stoke Mandeville Hospital for which Savile helped to raise millions of pounds, said: “He brought a little bit of magic and sparkle to everybody he met.”

Savile’s gold-coloured coffin was carried into the packed cathedral by a detachment of Royal Marines commandos after the cortege toured his home city.

Savile will be buried today following more public ceremonials in Scarborough, the North Yorkshire seaside town he loved and where he had a home.

According to his last wishes, he will be buried at a 45-degree angle overlooking the sea.

Savile, who presented the first episode of Top Of The Pops, was found dead at his flat in Roundhay, Leeds, just two days before his 85th birthday. He raised millions for charity and ran more than 200 marathons in support of good causes.

Picture: The funeral procession of Sir Jimmy Savile arrives at Roman Catholic St Anne's Cathedral in Leeds. Picture: PA