THE Bishop of Swindon has joined mourners to pay tribute to a man who “worked tirelessly” to help people overcome their problems.

The Rt Revd Dr Lee Rayfield paid tribute to Threshold Housing Link operations director Phil Smith who died on Sunday, September 27 at the age of 61.The homeless housing champion leaves behind wife Cher and children Deborah and Peter.

The Rt Revd Dr Lee Rayfield  praised Phil for all of his work with the homeless community. He said: “Phil, together with his wife Cher, have been tremendously committed to those who have ended up sleeping rough or sofa-surfing in Swindon.  He worked tirelessly to help people overcome their problems, regain control of their lives and find fresh hope and direction. 

“He faced his journey with cancer courageously and never let it trump his desire to make a difference for others.”

Right up to his death he was fundraising hard in aid of the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal, having had to travel to Oxford himself for treatment in his battle against cancer. Just ten days before his death he cycled 18 miles in preparation for Ride for Radiotherapy, but had to give up his space on the sponsored cycle event at the last minute due to being too unwell.

 Son-in-law Nick Mitchell completed the run for him, and a team effort of fundraising, including donations from the congregation at St Mark’s, saw a fundraising total of £900 raised including Gift Aid.

Former colleague Lyn Cuss of threshold Housing Link also praised Phil as being the sort of person who would always go one step further to help people.

She said: “Having worked with Phil for 12 years, I have always found him to be the most liked, respected and compassionate person within this sector. He was dedicated to providing support to Swindon’s homeless sector for more than 20 years, playing a huge part in the development of Culvery Court and Threshold Housing Link. 

“Phil would always go that ‘one step further’ for anybody, be it a service user or a member of staff, never looking for the ‘easy’ solution. He was a keen participant in the Charities fund raising events – particularly the ‘Run4Home’ and ‘Sleep Out’ – organising the event, raising money and participating.

“Phil was an excellent mentor, and even now when faced with a challenge I will take a step back and think ‘what would Phil do?’”

She added that having spoken to service users who had known Phil, they were obviously saddened to lose such a compassionate person. She said: “Each one has stated that no matter how many times they fell foul of their agreements and parted company with Threshold, Phil always showed compassion and empathy for individuals situations. As one service user said ‘Threshold is Phil’s legacy, the homeless people in Swindon have lost a man in a million’

“That was Phil – a man in a million.”

His funeral will be held on Friday, October 16 at St Marks Church on Church Place. This will be followed by a cremation at Kingsdown Crematorium, Upper Stratton at 12.45pm.