A FORMER pub landlord who was adored by the community he served pints to has died.
Many people from Arnside travelled to Liverpool on Monday to pay their respects at the funeral of former pub landlord and coastguard volunteer John Gallagher, according to his son.
Mr Gallagher was the landlord of The Albion pub between 2000 and left in the national Thwaites brewery shakeup in 2009.
More than 100 people turned up to see Mr Gallagher off and earlier that year people protested outside The Albion to keep the publican behind the bar.
At the time, Thwaites had drawn up plans to change its managed pubs, such as the Albion, into tenanted pubs. The Gallaghers left after receiving the order from the brewery to convert to a tenancy.
His son Daniel Gallagher said they moved to the Isle of Man afterwards but it was 'never the same.'
Mr Gallagher died on September 10 aged 62 from liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. He leaves his widow Lynn, his only child Daniel, and his granddaughter, Alexis.
Mr Gallagher was also involved in the Arnside and South Lakes Coastguard Rescue Team. He was one of the first responders to the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. He had just had surgery so he could not go to the sea but he ran down and manned the communications room as soon as he heard of people stranded in the bay.
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He also attended many dolphin and whale strandings with the team.
Before moving to Arnside, Mr Gallagher was born and raised in Liverpool and had a trial at Tranmere Rovers before injury prevented him from becoming a footballer. He was the youngest-ever manager at Higson's Brewery before it closed in Liverpool in 1990.
Daniel said: "He was funny, and a great leader. He trained people to the highest standards. He was part of the parish council for a long time."
When asked what Mr Gallagher thought was the most important aspect of running a pub, Daniel replied: "Building a community, turning customers into friends, not just serving great ale."
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