Funeral for Lord Geraint

Lord Geraint had been ill for some time

Hundreds of people have gathered for the funeral of the former leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Geraint Howells - Lord Geraint of Ponterwyd.

Lord Geraint, the former MP for Cardigan, then Ceredigion and Pembroke North, from 1974 to 1992, died last week aged 79.

Among the politicians from all parties attending Saturday's funeral were Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Lord Elystan Morgan, former Plaid Cymru AM and MP Cynog Dafis, Welsh assembly presiding officer Lord Elis Thomas and Montgomery MP Lembit Opik.

Leading figures from other areas of Welsh public life were also there, including ex-rugby player Gerald Davies and a number of Welsh actors.

Among the tributes was one from BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards who spoke of Lord Geraint as a friend and politician.

"I was keen, above, all to express the combination of the man," said the broadcaster after the funeral service.

Hundreds of mourners gathered both inside and outside the chapel

"He was a very, very able democrat."

Known to his constituents simply as "Geraint," he was a politician with a style which focussed on the personal and the local, but was also a passionate advocate of devolution and the Welsh language.

The funeral was held on Saturday at Ponterwyd Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, where Lord Geraint had been ordained as a deacon. The service was followed by interment at the local cemetery.

Born in 1925, Geraint Howells went to school in Aberystwyth and began his working life as a farmer but was elected a member of Cardiganshire County Council in 1952.

During the Lib Lab pact in the 1970s, he was instrumental in persuading the then agriculture minister to recognise the Farmers' Union of Wales.

He began his working life as a farmer and remained an ardent campaigner for agricultural affairs throughout his political career.

In the 1970s, he won recognition for the Farmers Union of Wales from the then Labour Government during its power-sharing with the Liberals.

As Baron Geraint of Ponterwyd, which he became in 1992, he was an active member of the House of Lords.