Employees pay respects to co-founder of Peterborough construction business Princebuild

Employees of Peterborough-based Princebuild Ltd have paid their respects to one of the company’s co-founders after he sadly passed away aged 75.

A funeral procession for Derek Asplin was joined by 10 Princebuild vans in honour of his long service and ownership of the company, which spanned some 35 years.

Mr Asplin passed away on July 25 and his funeral was held on August 10.

The procession began at Stilton before travelling to St Helen’s Church in Folksworth and then onto The Holiday Inn West, Peterborough, where a celebration of Derek’s life took place with more than 200 guests in attendance.

Mr Asplin co-founded Princebuild with business partner Stuart Pudney in 1971 and the company still remains in the ownership of the two families more than 50 years later.

Originally based in Princess Street Peterborough, Princebuild has seen significant growth over the years and now delivers its services nationally.

Stuart Pudney, financial director of Princebuild, said: “Derek was passionate about our business, he was a strong leader and had a wealth of knowledge of the building industry which he shared willingly with all staff.

“Derek leaves a long lasting legacy at our company with all employees committed to getting the job done and providing the best possible service for our customers, just as he did.”

As well as his dedication to Princebuild, Derek also contributed a significant amount of his time to the local community and charitable work.

As a member of the Macmillan Cancer Support Peterborough Committee, Derek helped to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the charity.

Susan Mahmoud, chairman of the fund-raising committee, said: “Derek played a major role in the group’s fund raising activities.

"He was a wonderful man, full of inspiration and will be sadly missed.”

Mr Asplin leaves wife Delia, two sons Mark and Dale and daughter Sherrie Dalton.