Fans descend on village for Mike Peters' funeral

Thousands of fans gathered for the funeral of The Alarm's Mike Peters on Thursday.

The musician and charity fundraiser died last month aged 66 after living with cancer for 30 years, following his diagnosis of lymphoma in 1995 and later having chronic lymphocytic leukaemia twice.

The service featured performances from musicians including Billy Duffy of The Cult, and was held in Peters' home village of Dyserth near Prestatyn, Denbighshire.

His widow Jules said the funeral had been planned to be "rock and roll, like a festival" - and the fans delivered exactly that.

Frontman of The Alarm, Peters died on 29 April after being treated for an aggressive lymphoma - his most recent illness after three decades of juggling treatment with recording and touring.

The group formed in 1981, sold five million albums and had 15 Top 40 hits including 68 Guns and Rain In The Summertime.

Those gathered for the funeral chanted "going out in a blaze of glory" as a recording of his band, fronted by Peters himself, played outside the church.

There was barely a dark sombre suit to be seen - instead, a sea of denim and camouflage, band t-shirts and flags.

It was followed by an emotional recording of Peters talking about his 30-year battle with cancer, watched in silence by the more than 2,000 gathered in front of a giant screen.

The crowd then parted to allow his wife, Jules, and their two sons and close family members to make their way into the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan, where about 150 people attended the service.

Jules, clutching a single rose, paused on a footbridge and told the crowd "thank you".

Jules said her husband had always been so determined to recover that he had not planned much for his funeral.

"I didn't like to bring it up too much in case he thought that I thought he was going to die," she said.

"We did have a funny conversation once when he said 'if you keep talking funerals you're really damaging my confidence here'. So I stopped."

James Chippendale, the co-founder of Peters' charity, Love Hope Strength, said the celebration of his life was "very, very Mike Peters".

"A little bit grungy, a little bit long, a little bit funny, a little bit sad, great music, and it just couldn't have been a more perfect ending," he said.

Paying tribute to his friend of 18 years, Mr Chippendale, who travelled from Mexico for the funeral, said: "Here's the thing about Mike - whether you were his great mate like me, or his fans, he's always the same.

"What you saw on stage, what you saw when he was interacting with the fans, was Mike."

He said the musician changed the lives of people who did not even know him through his charity work.

Fans travelled from far and wide to pay tribute to the singer.

Lily Elsayed made the trip from New Jersey in the USA to be there.

A superfan for more than 40 years, she even spent Christmas staying with Peters' family as a teenager in Prestatyn, back in the 1980s.

She said the funeral had "brought The Alarm family even closer together".

"It's bittersweet. I think we're just still in a little shock as he fought it so hard, and we didn't expect it now," she said.

"But he would have wanted us all here celebrating his life."

Donna and Marcus Hill, who are both 53, travelled from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.

Marcus is in a band and has even played on stage with Peters.

"I played Mike's guitar... just one of those once in a lifetime moments," is how he described it.

Donna said they kept the plectrum, adding: "It's on display on our wall."

"The Alarm fans are like a family," Marcus said.

"Mike was a rock star but didn't ever act aloof. He always recognised us and talked to us."

Mandy, 57, and Darren Mander, 59, travelled with their daughter Charlotte from Birmingham to pay tribute to the musician.

They have been fans of The Alarm since the 1980s but in the past few years became friends with Mike, Jules and their family after visiting the Red, a music cafe in Dyserth, Denbighshire.

"What he did was unique," said Darren.

"And he'd been through so much... we thought he would come through this."

Mandy said: "I keep expecting him to drive past in his jeep with Ziggy (the dog) with his head out of the window."

Charlotte added: "I was brought up on the Alarm... mum and dad took me to the Gathering [an Alarm event] every year."

Fans who gathered outside the church with ice creams, picnics and drinks to watch the funeral on a big screen wiped away tears, applauded and sang along throughout the ceremony, which featured tributes from friends and musicians including Peters' bandmate Eddie Macdonald of The Alarm, as well as drummer Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats and Billy Duffy of The Cult, who played Fade In, Fade Out, Fade Away.

MacDonald shared memories of meeting Peters as babies on Rhyl beach and growing up together, forming their first band at 17 and their rise to success, calling him a "catalyst who always made things happen".

He said: "He was entrepreneurial, his energy, his drive was infectious. Whenever he set his heart on something, he would achieve it and God help anyone who got in his way.

"He was a huge inspiration to work with."

Peters' sons Dylan and Evan also performed music at the service.

There was also a "minute of noise" started by The Alarm's tour manager Andy Labrow, which saw those inside and outside the church cheering, clapping and whooping in Peters' memory.

Reverend Gregor Lachlann-Waddell, vicar at the church, said: "The celebration befits a man whose life was marked by music, resilience, and unwavering hope."

Jules said it was a reflection of her husband's life as a musician who performed all over the world alongside stars like Bob Dylan and Bono.

"It is just going to be so rock and roll, like a festival and something that will go down in history for a long time to come."

She paid tribute to the fans and friends who had lent their support, shared memories and offered condolences since the star's death.

She also thanked the residents of Dyserth for their understanding as roads were closed to accommodate the funeral and mourners.

"I think it's befitting for the man that came from Dyserth who became the rock star, travelled all around the world and always wanted to put the village on the map," she said.

Jules said Peters' ashes would be buried in the churchyard across the road from the pub she runs with her sons.

"What I really wanted was somewhere public, where everybody could come and pay their respects for the rest of time. That's what has brought me the most happiness and he'll be able to keep an eye on us. So this is perfect."

The Manic Street Preachers, Simple Minds and U2 were among the rock bands who paid tribute to Peters following his death.