A TRADER who brought light to Knutsford's Christmas celebrations has died in a nursing home in Somerset.

Fred Atkinson, who was 88, decided the town needed illuminating in the 1960s and launched the Christmas lights from outside his fishmonger's shop in Canute Square.

"They even went to Blackpool to buy the lights," his daughter Joan Marsland told the Knutsford Guardian last week.

Fred and fellow co-founders of the Chamber of Trade decided to buy the Christmas lights and put them up.

His sons climbed ladders in King Street and Princess Street to put the decorations in place.

"It was all very hands on," said Joan.

"You couldn't do it like that now with the all the health and safety rules."

Fred was born in Manchester in 1916, the 12th of 13 children. His beginnings were humble and harsh.

"His mother relied on him to help her and she gave him his strong sense of duty, purpose and unswerving standards," said his youngest daughter Jean Major, 49 He served in the Second World War and after being discharged he built Lancaster bomber plane tails.

It was there he met Beatrice, whom he married in July 1943.

But Fred wanted a better life for his wife and their four young children so in 1954 they moved to Brook Cottage, Mobberley.

"I think they thought they'd arrived in heaven," said Jean, who was born in Cheshire.

The family later moved to Manchester Road in Knutsford before returning to Mobberley in 1975.

As well as moving house, Fred quickly started his own business. Atkinson's did a roaring trade in Canute Square with his attention to detail paying off.

Customers were attracted by his eye-catching displays of fish as well as fruit and vegetables.

But a problem that still troubles Knutsford traders today was also Fred's biggest bugbear.

Parking.

He became a founder member of the Knutsford Chamber of Trade because shopkeepers wanted to tackle the problem.

Honest

When they struggled to make a difference, he decided to join Knutsford Urban District Council as an Independent in 1967.

He believed there was no room for party politics in local government.

Beatrice, their three sons and two daughters became his campaign team and took that message to the people of Knutsford.

They knocked on doors, handed out leaflets and gave him moral support.

"He didn't have a party machine to help him," said Jean. During 20 years of service he became chairman of the urban district council and the first Independent mayor of Macclesfield in 1979. His service to the community earned him two invites to Buckingham Palace.

But one of his greatest achievements was defeating the Tories to retain the nether ward seat in 1979.

"It was the year of Thatcher so what a date to do it," said Jean.

"We put it down to him being an incredibly honest and just man."

Sadly, his son Brian was killed in a car crash in the 1970s.

"Dad held us together with a strong sense of family commitment and unity," said Jean. "This helped to give us the strength we have between us today."

His wife died in 1991.

Fred, who had five great grandchildren, had gone blind before his death, but always liked to keep up with the news.

"We plugged him into Radio Four and what he didn't know about politics and sport wasn't worth knowing," said Joan.

Fred was due to be cremated today in Yeovil. His ashes will be scattered next to Beatrice's.