TRIBUTES have been paid to the chairman of Yate and District Twinning Association who died suddenly last week.

Nigel Ellis died suddenly at his home in Dragon Road, Winterbourne on Friday (March 14).

The 70-year-old retired Highways Agency consultant was elected chairman of the association at the end of last year.

His wife Linda, 69, told the Gazette: “He was enjoying his time as chairman and was putting a lot of time and effort in.

“He was really trying to build links with Yate’s twin town of Bad Salzdetfurth.”

Mr Ellis, who lived in Winterbourne for 35 years, had attended the annual meeting of the twinning association at Poole Court the week before he died. He had spent the weekend with four delegates from Germany and he and Linda had booked to go on a summer visit with the twinning association.

“We went to Bad Salzdetfurth once and had booked to go again,” said Mrs Ellis. “I will probably still go because I think Nigel would have wanted me to.”

She said her husband had a passion for researching his family history and had discovered relatives in America, New Zealand and Australia.

“That was his passion and he was coming round to things like local history societies,” she said. “he was a very thoughtful person and got on well with everyone.”

Yate town mayor Cllr Wully Perks, who hosted the recent twinning meeting, said: “He was a very dedicated and hard working chairman who was trying to restore links between Yate and Bad Salzdetfurth.

“He is going to be sorely missed by the town council and the twinning association especially as the twinning is approaching its 30th anniversary.”

Mr Ellis leaves behind two sons, Stephen and Michael, and four grandchildren.