Representatives of the Finchley Society joined celebrities at a thanksgiving service for Spike Milligan at St Martin-in-the-Fields in central London on Monday.
Bill Tyler, president of the Finchley Society, said: "The contributions from both well-known people and from the vicar of St Martin's made it a very celebratory occasion.
"The readings and songs and music were all the sorts of things that one felt about Spike as a person.
"There was laughter on several occasions, and applause."
Comedian Eric Sykes told the congregation: "Spike and I shared an office for over 50 years. We were very close. It was a small office."
Milligan had said that he hoped fellow Goon Sir Harry Secombe would die before him so the Welshman wouldn't sing at his funeral. A Secombe recording was played.
Spike Milligan died at the age of 83 on February 27 from liver failure after many years of ill health. He was a tireless conservation campaigner who helped set up the Finchley Society in 1971 when he was living in Holden Road, North Finchley.
He helped save old cottages in Lodge Lane, Finchley, and fronted a campaign on BBC's That's Life to save College Farm in 1986.
He was still patron of the society at the time of his death.
June 25, 2002 16:00
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