By Rebecca Hannant
Tributes have been paid to “Mr Hornsea”, Keith Twigg, who died earlier this month.
Keith, who was 79, was a well-known figure in the town for his dedication to various charities and causes including Marie Curie, the Royal British Legion, the Hornsea Rotary Club and many more.
His dedication also saw him help community initiatives around the resort including Hornsea Urban Gardeners, and steering the committee that saved the Floral Hall.
Hornsea Rotary Club president Sydney Fox said: “Keith was our secretary and past president who was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship. His enthusiasm was infectious, and he will be greatly missed.”
June Greensmith of Hornsea Urban Gardeners said: “I first met Keith at a Home Grown Hornsea workday, and he was wearing a scythe. We hit it off straight away and he became my go-to person when I needed advice or support with HUG.
“The last time we sat together was in his garden in 2022 when he was helping
me write a speech. After that we could only chat on the phone, or he’d send me messages about some social media post or other he’d read with commentary that was giving me a hard time. He was one of the good guys and I shall miss our little chats.”
Keith’s friend and Hornsea Lions member Mel Watson said: “Keith was a very good
friend and supporter of the Lions. As a result of the many other charitable organisations, he was involved with, he was given the Lions Ken Bell Award in 2019 when I was president. This is for an individual that has done outstanding work in the community. He will be very sadly missed.”
Keith’s charity work also saw him raise more than £300,000 which was split between Marie Curie and the Royal British Legion.
Sue Fraser, secretary of Hornsea’s Marie Curie fundraising group, said: “It was an honour and a privilege to work alongside Keith. Our monthly meetings were always fun with Keith at the helm, as well as having a serious side. Between 2009 and 2020 we raised well over £136,000 mostly via our annual events of Hornsea Gardeners Fair and Hornsea Open Gardens when Keith was a major contributor to the work put in. Alongside many others in the town, we all miss him enormously.”
Frazer North, Royal British Legion Hornsea and District branch chairman, said: “We send sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Keith Twigg BEM who died shortly before this weekend’s Remembrance weekend. Keith was our branch treasurer for nearly 10 years and the poppy appeal organiser locally for many years. He was the nicest, kindest man you could wish to meet.
“Keith’s wealth of knowledge and list of contacts was endless, and he kept our RBL branch active when we were down to the last few in the district. In his memory this branch is building and will be strong again just as Keith wanted.
“If ever you wanted a name to live on in a community it is Keith Twigg – he loved Hornsea and its people and gave much of his time to both. He will be sorely missed in the community and especially by the RBL branch.
“We have been honoured to call him our friend. Hornsea will be a slightly duller place without him. We wish him rest and peace.”
In 2022, Keith was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the community.
Not long before he died, Hull Road allotments dedicated one of its patches to Keith, who had been a long-standing trustee of the allotments. On October 3, the committee unveiled the “Twiggy’s Patch” sign, which was blessed by Rev Tina Minett Stevens.
A representative of Hull Road allotments said: “Keith will be missed by everyone on the allotments. He was a trustee for many years.
“We have a patch on the allotments dedicated to him – we are just upset he did not get to see it in person. He did get to see the video of the dedication and he was honoured we did this for him.
“He was such a lovely man and well respected by everyone.”
