Video: Scarborough pays respects as Sir Jimmy laid to rest

Three cheers were raised for Sir Jimmy Savile as thousands of fans lined the streets in his beloved Scarborough to bid farewell before the former miner-turned-DJ was finally laid to rest.

The Leeds-born broadcaster, who died aged 84, was buried in the seaside town yesterday – his casket placed at a 45-degree angle as if looking out to sea.

Leading a service at Woodlands Cemetery, which was attended by family, friends and members of the public, Father Martin Kelly praised Sir Jimmy’s charity work and said the broadcasting legend held a place “deep in people’s hearts”. The ceremony followed his funeral at St Anne’s Cathedral in Leeds, on Wednesday, which saw thousands of well-wishers pack the city’s streets.

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It was a similar scene in Scarborough when crowds gathered on the Esplanade outside Sir Jimmy’s home as the cortege passed by.

And as the procession travelled along the town’s seafront, where Sir Jimmy could often be spotted, cheers and applause rang out across the harbour.

Paying tribute to the legions of fans who have turned out to pay respects to the former BBC radio presenter, Sir Jimmy’s nephew Guy Marsden and his wife Anne, said: “We felt like we wanted to clap them. None of us realised just how much people thought of him. We have all said we will never see anything like this again in our lifetime. Everyone we have spoken to has got a story to tell. He would have loved it.”

Sir Jimmy was buried with a Royal Marines medal, a green beret and a Help for Heroes wristband.

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