TRIBUTES have been paid to the managing director of Hall and Woodhouse, who died suddenly on New Year’s Day.

David Woodhouse, 48, had been walking in woods near his home at Iwerne Minster when he suffered a heart attack.

The managing director, along with his cousin Mark, the firm’s vice-chairman, had been the fifth generation of the Woodhouse family to lead the brewery, taking the helm in 1998 after eight years on the board.

Mark Woodhouse told brewery staff that while his cousin’s loss had been devastating, he had left the firm a fine legacy on which he was determined to build.

North Dorset’s MP, Bob Walter, said he was shocked and saddened to hear of Mr Woodhouse’s sudden death.

"I was with David and his family only a few days before on Boxing Day at Wincanton Racecourse. David was so full of fun that day and as ever demonstrated his great charm with both friends and family. His wife, Sarah and the children must be devastated by this unexpected loss,” said Mr Walter.

The parliamentarian described the brewery boss as a truly compassionate and responsible business leader, under whose leadership the Hall and Woodhouse brewery had gone from strength to strength.

"He will be sadly missed by the brewery, by the local community and most of all by his family. My condolences and good wishes are with them at this tragic time. He was a truly good and kind man," said Mr Walter.

Lt Col Michael Oliver, the chairman of North Dorset District Council (NDDC), said: “We are all devastated by David’s death. He had become a good friend of mine during my time as chairman of the district council and his time as High Sheriff of Dorset.

“We had, of course, had a tremendous amount to do with him at NDDC regarding the proposed rebuild of the brewery and the associated housing development,” said Cllr Oliver.

Cllr Angus Campbell, the leader of Dorset County Council (DCC) said the sudden death of Mr Woodhouse had come as a tragic and dreadful shock to all who knew him.

“David was a most talented and accomplished man, a major employer in Dorset and beyond, and a man who also volunteered his ability and talent throughout the county,” said Cllr Campbell.

“This tragic loss of one so talented and so young is devastating for the county as a whole and our thoughts must now be with those who were close to him,” he added.

The Rev Simon Everett, rector of St Mary’s Church in Iwerne Minster, said he had last seen Mr Woodhouse during a service on Christmas Day.

“His death has come as a great shock to everyone in the village. He was a great family man and someone who fought passionately for the area and the people in it,” he said.

“I was his chaplain during his year as the High Sheriff of Dorset in 2006 and got to know him quite well. He was a good and decent man.”

Cllr Steve Hitchings, a former mayor of Blandford, said he had several meetings with Mr Woodhouse in his capacity as a major employer of the town’s people.

“He was brilliant. He knew what he wanted to achieve with the brewery site, but at the end of the day, he was a very kind-hearted ma,” he said..

“He will be a massive loss to Hall and Woodhouse, to Blandford and to Dorset as a whole.”

The brewery boss had donated a weekend at a hotel in Devon to an auction for mayoral charities, he added.

Michel Hooper-Immins, the assistant regional director of the Campaign for Real Ale, said Mr Woodhouse’s commitment to a new brewery on the Blandford St Mary site was a tremendous act of faith in the future of real ale.

“David became a personal friend and I spent many happy hours in his company. My heart goes out to Sarah, his wife, and their children,” said Mr Hooper-Immins.

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