Tributes to a stalwart of Adur's farming community
Trevor Passmore, a fourth generation farmer at Coombes Farm, described as a ‘fun and popular’ man who ‘enjoyed everything he did’, died at St Barnabas House hospice on Friday.
Trevor grew up at the farm, which has been in his family since 1901, alongside his two siblings and was always passionate about fishing from a young age, said sister Jenny Flake, who runs the farm with Trevor.
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Hide AdHe studied at Plumpton Agricultural College and Writtle University College, spending a year in Wales during this time and developing a love of the country.
In 1976, he bought a farm in Llanthony, Wales, and spent ten years farming there in the mountains, before returning to Coombes.
He was very well known as a farmer and acted as the county chairman of the National Farmers’ Union.
At the farm, his love of fishing led him to dig ‘Passies Pond’, an area of three lakes for angling members of the public to use.
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Hide AdHe also opened up the Spotted Cow bar at the farm, to cater for weddings, and for the last ten years has hosted Glastonwick – a beer and music festival held in June – at the farm.
He helped set up the twinning association in Adur and enjoyed visiting twin town Zywiec in Poland several times.
Part of ‘a very close’ family, he was a ‘fantastic uncle’ to six nephews and nieces and a ‘very family orientated man’.
Jenny thanked the ‘amazing’ staff at St Barnabas House for the care they provided him.
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Hide AdManor ward councillor Carson Albury, who along with his wife councillor Carol Albury knew Trevor for around 30 years, described him as a ‘very jovial man’ who was ‘bigger than life.’
He said: “He has been not only a stalwart of the farming community but a big instigator in the fishing community, too. Old Trevor will be missed greatly.”
Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said Adur had lost ‘a great supporter of the wider community’ in Trevor.
He said: “Trevor was very involved with angling, not just through running Passies Pond on the family farm, but in his passion for getting young people involved in fishing in particular.
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Hide Ad“He was very involved with various Adur-wide sporting organisations and played a key part in forging the close twinning relationship between Adur and Zywiec in Poland.
“His loss will be sadly felt by a great many people throughout Adur and beyond.”
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