THE WIDOW of a popular road sweeper who worked in Tavistock and nearby villages has gained permission to have a street bench placed in the town centre in his memory.

Gareth Harries died suddenly, aged 65, at the end of last August, at the Tavistock home he shared with his wife Jasmin. Many members of the community said he was a ‘true kind gentleman’, a ‘lovely, gentle giant’, and ‘well loved’. He was also remembered as an inspirational mentor by his former Royal Navy shipmates when he served as a submariner before becoming a street cleaner.

He worked for Focsa Environmental Services, contracted by West Devon Borough Council, in places like Horrabridge and Bere Alston and retired due to ill health in 2021 after about 20 years service.

The bench will be placed behind the statue of the Duke of Bedford near the Guildhall later this year.

Jasmin said: ‘Any comments I could make about my Gareth are obviously going to be biased. He was quite simply the best and nicest person I ever met. Someone said to me, years ago, how lucky I was to have married that person. He was the love of my life and my best friend.

‘He served the community well in various job roles he performed for but particularly in that of the town sweeper over a period of five years. ‘He would get lots of lovely comments from people in the town, and many expressed their gratitude for keeping the town clean and tidy. I knew he was well liked and popular, but not to the extent shown by the many sentiments expressed on his passing last August.

‘I hit upon the idea of a bench in his memory to commemorate him and the service he gave to the town. I thought it would be fitting that he should be remembered for his huge and valued commitment to Tavistock and those who live here.

‘It is therefore, going to be in a prominent place where most people are likely to see it, as it was in the town that he interacted with so many of the residents.’

Gareth was badly missed by many parents and their children who stopped to chat to him on their way to school and appreciated the time he gave to talk to them while he was working. Some children even helped him pick up rubbish. One mother said he treated her son as if he was his family and called another little girl an angel. Gareth got to know so many people while working he learned the names of most dogs being walked and used to recite them to Jasmin when out.

Gareth was also a former submarine sonar operator for 15 years based in Devonport. More than 200 former shipmates paid tribute on social media at the time of his death and attended his funeral at Tavistock Catholic Church.

Jasmin said she always intended to fund the bench personally, but she has set up a Go Fund Me page. She stressed it was not to explicitly appeal for donations, but provided a way of people showing how much they missed him, if they chose.

She thanked Tavistock Lions for their contribution and added: ‘Obviously I miss him hugely, it’s been a long, tough seven months, and I am sure there are others in the town who miss him too so this will be a fitting way to remember him.’

Anyone wanting to donate or pass on messages are asked to go to http://gofundme.com/ and search for ‘Gareth aka Stavi’