Rachael Heyhoe Flint funeral: The send-off she would've wanted - PICTURES and VIDEO

Wolverhampton said goodbye to one of its most beloved daughters, whom no one who met her will ever forget, writes Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers.

The great and good of Rachael Heyhoe Flint's city – a city she was born, raised, educated, lived and died in – packed out St Peter's Church to bid farewell to one of their own.

And no one failed to raise a smile as they remembered 'Our Rachael'.

Appropriately, Rachael's final journey began at Molineux. At 1.30pm, Waterloo Road was closed before the four-car procession moved slowly toward the Ring Road.

Passing the Billy Wright statue where around 100 well wishers lined the road, the cars slowed down and respectful applause rang out from the members of the public, many wearing gold and black scarves.

The funeral congregation was dominated by the worlds of sport and entertainment.

Former Wolves chairman Steve Morgan, bosses past and present Kenny Jackett and Paul Lambert, captain Danny Batth, ex-players Ron Flowers, Steve Bull, John Richards, Don Goodman, Mel Eves, Matt Murray, Jody Craddock and Mo Camara all attended, as did former chief executive Jez Moxey.

Sir Trevor Brooking, Suzi Perry, Jacqui Oatley and Denise Lewis and broadcasters Eleanor Oldroyd and Alison Mitchell were there. Sir Tim Rice, Dennis Amiss, former England cricketers Mike Gatting and Devon Malcolm and close friends Angela Rippon and Judith Chalmers...they all came to say goodbye.

And the tributes that everyone paid were as sincere and as warm as they come.

There was sadness and sorrow, of course. Anyone touched by Rachael has been left devastated at her sudden loss.

But, as Reverend David Wright regaled in this poignant service, which fittingly for such a devoted football fan lasted for 90 minutes (as her great friend Sir Jack's funeral had done at the same church two years ago), she personally requested of him "I want my funeral to be like Sir Jack's..although it can't be as grand because I'm not as grand."

Rachael spoke to Rev Wright on the day that doctors told her no more could be done to save her.

"After that cheery greeting, which didn't change, she asked me two questions and made one request," he said at the start of the service.

"The first question was 'how is your foot?' and the second was 'how's our organ appeal doing?'.

"Those two questions say a lot about Rachael – that her concerns and her energy in life were so often directed outwards towards others."

Close friend Angela Rippon led the tributes during an emotional service at St Peter's Church as Wolverhampton said goodbye to Rachael Heyhoe Flint.

The television presenter told a host of anecdotes and stories from Rachael's life in a 25-minute address to a packed church.

Listing her friend's 'crimes' against cricket, football, politics, the media, music and even cooking, Ms Rippon spoke of her mischievous friend's many troublesome antics in 'terrorising society'.

"In her final days at Wolverhampton Girl's High School, she drove into the school on a Lambretta motorbike that she'd borrowed from her then boyfriend – and I do mean into the school, and into the principal's office," Ms Rippon regaled.

She told of how when Rachael spotted a West Bromwich Albion numberplate parked at Molineux and proceeded to drape a Wolves scarf on the car, and when she tied up a Christmas turkey in cricket laces – which promptly set on fire.

Rachael once suggested that women cricketers wear coconut shells – an alternative to the men's box – and made sure she was the first ever female cricketer to walk on the Lord's pitch after conveniently getting lose on the way to the entrance so that the team would have to follow her.

Ms Rippon told how after Rachael was caught speeding, she got out of it by telling the police officer her son had diarrhoea.

And of the time when she drove into an out-of-bounds street in a rush on her way to the House of Lords, before being informed an officer that President Barrack Obama was in a car behind her.

Ms Rippon called her friend the 'Robin Hood of the Lady Taverners' in the way she cajoled money from the rich. In total Rachael personally had a hand in raising £7.5million for charity.

And Ms Rippon ended her 'rap sheet' of Rachael's life by saying: "Her most outrageous crime was that she stole all of our hearts."

In a service designed by the woman herself to be uplifting and inspiring, another television personality Judith Chalmers gave a light-hearted reading of Nursery School Story Time by Joyce Grenfell, while Rachael's grandsons Oliver and Giles gave a wonderful performance of The Anxious Pooh Song by AA Milne.

Wolves club secretary Richard Skirrow called Rachael a 'warm and wonderful person'. "You were never brought down by a meeting or a conversation with Rachael," he added, before reading Psalm 139.

And Reverend David Wright, who spent time with Rachael before her death, told how she was 'at peace' in those final days.

He added: "Rachael's death leaves a gap that no one else can ever fill.

"You don't need me to tell you Rachael was unique, one of a kind.

"She made a contribution that nobody else could have made."

Outside the church, around 150 people gathered at the bottom of the stairway, listening to the service through speakers.

There was applause, tears and laughter as they hung on every word.

Mischievous tales of a woman loved and respected by so many were shared during the service, and also outside the church where mourners gathered afterwards to tell their favourite Rachael stories.

Everyone had a tale of Rachael's selflessness, her goodwill.

Close family friend Jacqui Oatley, whose brother went to school with Rachael's son Ben, remembered Rachael bowling at her on her front drive in Tettenhall.

"When she sadly passed away I was looking at some of her texts and one of her most recent ones was signed "Rachael (your cricket coach)" Jacqui said after the service.

"I was trying to think what she must have looked like when she was asleep because she was always smiling. I can't picture her face without a smile on it, either because she was being cheeky, or with a wry smile talking about Wolves.

"She was an amazing person and a pioneer. I most admired the way she made a difference with a sense of humour."

Former Wolves player Don Goodman spoke of how Rachael helped him settle in Wolverhampton: "She was the life and soul, her humour was wicked and she had the heart of a lion – she'd do anything for anybody."

Kenny Jackett got to know Rachael well during his three years at Wolves.

He said: "She was a fantastic character. She was very good to me and my wife Sam and my two children.

"She was infectious. Everyone who met her was left with a smile on their face.

"The service was full of testimonies to what was a fantastic life."

The tributes and the tales of just this afternoon could fill a book.

Fittingly – and just as she planned it – the funeral ended on a light note.

As this formidable, endearing force of nature was carried out of St Peter's Church, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life was played, her song of choice.

People sang along, they grinned. "Keep 'em laughing as you go," Eric Idle chirped. Rachael Heyhoe Flint certainly did that, in life and in death. She will be sorely missed.