A “touching” tribute to a former driving examiner in the town was made as a memorial bench was unveiled in his memory on Friday.

David Gill died suddenly of a heart attack aged 64 last year. He had worked as a driving examiner in the town for nine years after previously working in the ambulance service and a welder.

And such was the high regard that David was held that former colleagues at the St Helens & District Driving Instructors’ Association organised and paid for the bench as a fitting honour to him.

And the monument was finally revealed on Friday at the St Helens Driving Test Centre on Navigation Road with David’s widow Anita Gill, daughter Nichola Owen and sister Freda Leach in attendance alongside some of his former colleagues.

“I remember at his funeral there had been so many driving instructors all passing good wishes,” said Anita, 68 of Ashton-in-Makerfield.

“And then after I got a phone call saying that they wanted a memorial to remember him by so they decided they wanted a bench with a plaque.”

“It was a lovely tribute to David on Friday, we didn’t know he had been so well thought of,” added Anita.

Members of the St Helens & District Driving Instructors Association have spent the past nine months making arrangements for the bench.

“It has been a lot of hard work and expense but David was such a very special man it was wonderful to see all our efforts come to fruition last Friday,” said Christine Holland, acting Chairperson and Secretary of the Association.

“When we heard about David’s sudden death we were all so terribly upset and devastated, we wanted to give him and his family a lasting gift for all his hard work and dedication.

“Members decided to buy a memorial bench to remember this extraordinary man. He was so pleasant and funny and David really went out of his way to put pupils at ease.

“Everyone loved him and as an association we wanted to buy a lasting tribute to his great achievements.”