A Yorkshireman who brought smiles, surfboards and Santa Claus to the streets of Alton and East Hampshire has passed away in Scotland.

Barry Holmes was a long-term member of the Rotary Club of Alton with his 40-year service including a spell as president in the 1980s.

But the married father-of-two was also an innovative businessman who counted tennis and barbecuing among a roster of talents.

Barry was the first child of Albert and Edith Holmes and was born in Hull in October 1932. After being educated in the city and getting a degree in chemistry he moved to London to join Elliot Brothers.

He met and married his wife of 63 years, Brenda, in the capital and the pair relocated to Four Marks in 1962 when he secured a job at North Hants Engineering.

Barry initially led the technical team before later becoming managing director. He travelled extensively to support sales of their specialist Oxygen Metres and Skidaddle, an early form of motorised surfboard that was displayed at the Southampton and Monaco boat shows.

But the businessman always loved to give something back and the joined the Rotary Club of Alton in the late 1960s, helping out with everything from erecting the High Street crib to being Father Christmas.

The keen cook left North Hants Engineering in 1974 to become managing director at New Alresford start-up firm PI Specialist Engineers in 1974.

Barry and his wife moved to Stranraer after retirement in 2011, later joining the town’s Rotary club and playing a big part in the completion and promotion of the Mull to Galloway coastal path.

He died at the age of 92 at home last month and his body was donated to the University of Glasgow for medical research. He leaves a wife, son and daughter, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.