The funeral for Wyndham Thomas was held at Peterborough Crematorium on Friday. Mr Thomas was head of the Peterborough Development Corporation which turned Peterborough from a market town into a flourishing city with attractions including Queensgate Shopping Centre and Nene Park. He died on December 2 at Peterborough City Hospital, with many people paying tribute to his contribution to the city. Mr Thomas, a great grandfather, was made a freeman of the city back in March 2015 when he was aged 90 in recognition of his 14 years in charge of the development corporation which was tasked with turning Peterborough into one of the government’s sought after New Towns in order to take pressure off of London. Among his triumphs was the creation of Nene Park (including Ferry Meadows), the parkway system and Queensgate, which opened in 1982 with a flagship John Lewis store. He also engineered the arrival of former travel giant Thomas Cook into the city. Among those who attended the funeral on Friday were Peterborough City Council chief executive Gillian Beasley, Mayor of Peterborough Cllr Gul Nawaz, and former council leader Charles Swift.
