Crowds of men, women and children gathered in the street in memory of a popular bar manager who died suddenly.
Birkdale Village came to a standstill on Tuesday as the funeral cortege of 29-year-old Robbie Wilson passed through the area. Dozens of people stood at the side of the road to pay their respects to the bar manager as he made his final journey to Burscough Crematorium.
The cortege passed through the village just after 2pm, with people bowing their heads as Robbie's coffin went by. Floral arrangements included white flowers spelling out "Robbie" with a number of handwritten notes attached to them.
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Robbie worked in a number of bars and restaurants across Southport and Birkdale, with many in shock following the news of his death. The former Tea Rooms and Café Bar N'Ista employee was described as a "beautiful soul" and is said to have had a "contagious laugh".
In a tribute posted online, Café Bar N'Ista wrote: "It is with the heaviest of hearts we pay tribute to our previous manager and long-standing friend Robbie. His family have taken time to grieve in private before anything was announced on social media.
"We’re sure many of you will know and remember Robbie. He was with us for several years, he worked in many bars and restaurants in Southport including The Tea Rooms and Clubhouse.
"He was a hardworking, friendly and all-round beautiful soul. He remembered names and customers' drinks orders and was always happy to help anyone.
"He played an important part of all our lives here at Café Bar N’Ista and as a close family team we are all beyond devastated at his passing. We all have our favourite memories of Robbie, least of all his loud and contagious laugh which we will all miss.
"The loss of a friend is something you can never recover from, the only comfort we can take is that he is now at peace. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, of which he had many. Rest In Peace Robbie."
The Clubhouse posted on February 9: "We would like to thank everyone in the village for their kind words, hugs, cards & flowers. We closed yesterday to give our staff a safe space to talk and be together.
"We will be reopening from 12 today. Personally, we are beyond devastated with the loss of our best friend and manager, a beautiful kind soul who will forever be in our hearts. Lynsey & Gaz"
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