LOVING grandad, gardening enthusiast and boat builder, Michael Male from Poole, has died at the age of 78.

Born on December 5, 1937 in Oakdale, Michael, known as Mick to friends and family, had one brother, Colin, and went to the local infant school and then Henry Harbin, now known as Poole High School.

He left education at the age of 15 and went straight into an apprenticeship at Dorset Lake Shipyard in Hamworthy as a shipwright, learning how to build and repair boats, utilising his skills as a self-taught carpenter.

He was called up for National Service for two years and was based in the Brecon Beacons during that time. Mick also worked on dismantling the minesweeper naval warships after the Royal Navy had finished using them.

Mick finished full-time work as a boat builder at age 70, but carried on working part time for another five years after at the firm, which is now called Lake Yard.

Wife, Shirley, said that in the event of stormy weather, Mick would head down to the boat yard to check that all the boats were safely tied down. She added that on Christmas Day he would make a special trip to the boat yard to feed the resident cat, Snobs, to ensure no person or creature was forgotten over the festive period.

Outside of work, he took huge pride in his garden and loved growing vegetables for his family and friends, which he enjoyed sharing with colleagues. He also loved teaching his youngest grandchild, Adam, four, how to plant seeds in the garden and spending time with his and Shirley's daughters Susan, Terrie and Tracy and their grandchildren, Nadia, Melissa and Mica. His family often shared a joke with Mick about his accurate weather predictions, even several days in advance and loved to read about the history of Poole, where he had lived all his life.

Mick never held a passport and so had never stepped foot on a plane. His wife, Shirley, said the furthest he had ever travelled was to Glasgow for their granddaughter's christening. However, most of the time he enjoyed trips out to the seaside in Weymouth and loved to sit and read the newspapers each day over a pint in the pub.

His funeral service took place at Poole Crematorium on Thursday, February 4, with donations going to Broadstone Supper Club for Forest Holme Hospice.