A FATHER-OF-TWO who died on Pendle Hill was a devoted family man who loved to travel.

John Austin Rainford was found collapsed down a steep embankment at the Nick of Pendle last weekend.

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Mr Rainford was the owner of Wesford Ltd, a building company he set up with business partner Darren Clawson, and named after his 23-year-old son Wesley.

He trained as an apprentice builder after leaving school at 16 and even built his own house in Huncoat at the age of the 21.

Mr Rainford, who went to St John the Baptist Primary in Padiham, and St Augustine’s High School in Billington, was with his ex-wife Tracy for around 20 years, and the pair married in Las Vegas in 1999. They had two children together, Wesley, who now works at his father’s building firm, and 19-year-old Poppy.

His sister, Julie Rainford, 50, said: “They went on fabulous holidays, Australia, Indonesia, Venezuela, Canada, America.

“When he was 19, he spent a year in Australia, he travelled up and down. He also spent about six months in Canada, working.

“John achieved a lot, he was top of his game, he was very good at his job.”

Ms Rainford said her brother was a talented artist who loved painting and drawing, and liked to paint pictures of birds and animals.

He also loved chickens and bantam hens, and used to enter poultry shows and rear turkeys for Christmas.

Ms Rainford said her worked six or seven days a week to provide for his family.

When he was younger he had spent a year in London, working on a big building project in glamorous Notting Hill, but he was always keen to return to East Lancashire.

At the time of his death he was staying with his cousin in Stockbridge Road, Padiham. She is now caring for his rescue dog Tess.

Ms Rainford said: “The whole family is devastated and heartbroken. Wesley thought the world of him.

“My daughter Sally was very close to her uncle, John. She’s heartbroken.”

His aunt, Pat Field, 75, added: “He loved company and he loved life, he had a full and colourful life.

“He was a grafter, he worked very, very hard.

“He was happy-go-lucky and was generous to a fault. He would do any favour for anyone.”

More than 300 people attended John’s funeral at Burnley Crematorium on Friday.

Ms Rainford added: “Everyone had stories to tell, they all said he was a legend. He had a good send-off.

“He had so many friends, he will be sorely missed.”