Jockey Club member Sir John Cotterell fondly remembered at Hereford

Sir John Cotterell, who has died at the age of 82, was a well-known racecourse steward, owner and a member of the Jockey Club.

John Henry Geers Cotterell, the sixth baronet, was a keen Herefordshire farmer of the family's Garnons estate, which hosts the local South Hereford Hunt and Ross Harriers meetings and has done for more than 30 years.

Eton-educated and in the Royal Horse Guards, he was a director of Hereford for more than 20 years and a steward there, as well as at Cheltenham, Warwick, Worcester and Wolverhampton.

Former Hereford general manager and clerk of the course John Williams paid tribute, saying: "He was an exceptionally nice person who did so much good for other people in a quiet way and got things done.

"He had the special talent of being able to get on with everyone, from the gateman to the sponsors, with a superb way about him.

"He was keen on all things Hereford and the county and raised huge sums for the cathedral."

Trainer Venetia Williams, who trained a horse he was a partner in, said: "I have known him for many years outside the direct owner-trainer connection and he was a wonderful and hugely-respected person who loved his racing."

Cotterell, whose wife Lady Alexandra pre-deceased him, leaves three sons, Harry, James and David, and daughter Milly.

His funeral, for family and close friends, takes place at Byford Church a week on Thursday. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

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