A JAZZ festival is to pay tribute to “Mr Fixit”, its chairman of 10 years.

Organisers of the 26th annual Upton Jazz Festival are planning to celebrate the life of Colin Slocombe during the three-day event later this month.

Mr Slocombe – who was widely known in music circles – died suddenly of heart disease in October last year, aged just 60, leaving his wife Rosalind and brother Barry.

Described by friends as the “unflappable” man behind the festival for many years, Mr Slocombe was a sports-mad Morgan motor enthusiast who played for Upton’s hockey club and rugby side and drove a distinctive Morgan Plus 8.

He was involved with Upton Jazz Festival as a steward from the beginning and was voted on to the festival committee in 1995.

Roger Sutton, a close friend and jazz festival treasurer, said: “He was chairman for 10 years, during which time the festival continued to flourish and became the biggest event in the Upton calendar.

“In addition to his enthusiasm, hard work and ideas, Colin brought to the festival unflappability.

“To steal a phrase from somewhere, ‘in all cases of difficulty, in whom do we put our trust?’ Well that would be Colin.

"He lived on site for the whole of the festival and we wouldn’t have coped without him.”

The Upton Jazz Festival runs from Friday, June 24, until Sunday, June 26.

For more information, visit uptonjazz.co.uk