William Onion hiker Snowdon - Coach Pickles death: Afghanistan veteran had a genius for building life changing communities, mourners hear

A string of friends - mainly from England - paid tearful tribute to his Irish wit, kindness and inspiration at a standing-room-only service in Wray's Funeral Home in Antrim today.

A veteran of the Royal Signals Corp, he had served in the Falklands, Ascension Island and Afghanistan and went on to become a personal trainer and mountain leader known as Coach Pickles.

Former army Chaplain Rev Jack Moore, a family friend, said he had counselled many Afghanistan veterans with serious problems but that a tour there had the opposite effect on William.

"He was more grown up and had a different outlook on life, and an amazing willingness to help others...”, he said.

He met his partner of seven years, Nichol, in Qatar and they had enjoyed a joyful outdoors life together based in Bournemouth.

He led groups of people to Everest Base camp and on countless hikes around England, Scotland and Wales.

A common theme among the many tributes was that he helped people achieve what they had never dreamed possible, creating a community which changed lives.

Time and again people testified to his infectious sense of humour, salty language and ready friendship to all who met him.

A former military colleague Andrew Quintero told how the Antrim man was "an Irish Del Boy" who was renowned for having a string of "old bangers" in the HQ car park which was known as “Onion Motors”.

His surname Onion had naturally morphed into the nickname ‘Pickles’ in the army, he said.

Grant King, another veteran, told how he recruited him to work as a PT in his gym in Qatar and that unlike most veterans, he had never seen him get angry.

In fitness classes they split all the clients into military style sections - and everyone always wanted to be on team Pickles, he said.

He would make his clients cry by pushing them to their limits: “At the end of those runs people always thanked him.”

William looked after Grant’s dog, Dash, for a week and it chewed a hole in his wall. But William shrugged it off and continued to look after the dog many times.

"He made our community in Qatar," he said of the impact on his gym business. "Most people joined because of him and they stayed because of him."

Many people naturally gravitated to William for help with anything from nutrition to depression - and he never judged them, he said.

Later when Grant was moving a gym across London, William dropped everything help in the 18-hour task. "None of my good friends or family were there," he added.

Adam, the owner of a removals company in Bournemouth said William set a world record for the number of swear words in an interview when he gave him a job in 2017. He delighted colleagues by secretly ordering massive McDonalds takeaways during jobs.

"He came as a colleague and left as a dear friend," he added. "He was always there for others. He was kind. So in a world where you can be anything, be a little more Will,” he urged mourners.

Rebecca Gregg from his hiking group said of William: "From the Jurassic Coast (in England) to Everest base camp, he's the one that got us all up and out on the mountains and in the elements, achieving things we thought were out of reach, all while having the most fun."

She added: "Will had a wicked sense of humour that we all loved, and had us crying with laughter wherever we were, even when the rain was vertical and the paths were steep."

She read a string of tributes to him from social media, which are listed below;-

"This man brought hundreds of people together and gave them a new lease of life. He took us places we never thought we would go. We built the most amazing friendships and have the most amazing memories."

"This man was a joy to be with."

"He helped me find my place in the world."

"He was one in a million who was never below you or above you but always beside you."

"He built a community around us full of love and support.”

"He changed people's lives just through his incredible community."

"You went out and did what you loved - and that takes b***s."

"A gentleman who took so many under his ginormous wing."

"The community that he created meant that I made the most incredible friends."

"Always at the end of the line for a chat."

"He changed the lives of thousands of people."

"I achieved things I never could have done without him.”

"He actually did what he said he was going to do."

"His passion for the outdoors, and helping others achieve their goals was monumental."

At the end of the funeral the cleric urged mourners to think of a memory of William "and to take his baton and pass it on to others".

A lone piper then piped his coffin out to the tune of Amazing Grace.

• A fundraising appeal has been set up for William’s funeral and partner;- https://www.gofundme.com/f/william-onion