The funeral takes place on Thursday (January 14) of a nationally renowned artist and well known local character whose paintings take inspiration from his days as a National Hunt jockey and racehorse trainer.

Geoff Price, 79, died at the Countess of Chester Hospital on Christmas Day after losing his battle with cancer.

He had lived in Bouverie Street in the Garden Quarter for many years but recently moved to Cherry Grove Road in Boughton.

Geoff, who used to exercise horses at the stables of the late Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain, once said of his artwork: “As a result of my association with horse racing I try to capture its pageantry - jockey’s colours, crowds, etc, but more importantly it’s the movement, the physical power of jockey and horse, that I want to convey through my work.”

It was back in the 1960s and 70s that Geoff enjoyed a career as a jockey and in the early days apparently used to ride out with the late Davy Jones of The Monkees’ fame when he too was a budding jockey.

Geoff went on to study art as a mature student and graduated in Fine Art from Liverpool Polytechnic in 1977. During his time at Liverpool his paths crossed with ‘Budgie’, the drummer in rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and the lead singer of 60s group The Mojos.

Former National Hunt jockey Geoff Price, then aged 62, with one of his horse racing paintings being exhibited at the Bridgewater Art Gallery in Chester which was opened by TV racing presenter and journalist Brough Scott.

Since that time he had continued to make a living as a working artist, developing his style and combining his passion for racing and art to produce his distinctive abstract paintings. He has exhibited in galleries across the UK and his work features in the collection of the University of Liverpool, as well as in private collections in the UK, Ireland and Colombia.

His paintings range in price from £75 to £2,000 and beyond. Racehorse trainer Ed Dunlop is among the many admirers of his work.

Geoff was also a political animal who was a long-time supporter of the Labour Party. He did drift away from the party following Tony Blair’s decision to invade Iraq but prior to the May 2015 election was back out on the streets canvassing and helped the party secure a Labour MP and a majority on the council.

The Chester Labour Party has sent a card to Geoff’s son who is helping to organise the funeral along with the artist’s ex-wife.

Geoff Price, pictured third from right on front row, in a celebratory picture taken in May 2015 after Labour's local victory also featuring on the centre of the back row, left to right, Chester MP Chris Matheson, council leader Cllr Sam Dixon and Ellesmere Port & Neston MP Justin Madders.

Boughton Labour Cllr Martyn Delaney had known Geoff, a keen jogger, over many years. He described him as ‘a gregarious’ and 'kind and generous' person with a dry sense of humour, who ‘loved life’ and was passionate when it came to ‘injustice’. His passing was ‘a very sad loss’.

Speaking about his art work, he said: “He had this way of capturing movement in his paintings, bringing them alive. There was so much energy in his paintings.”

Former Labour councillor Gwyneth Cooper, of Balmoral Park, said Geoff was ‘very gifted’ as both a jockey and an artist. “He was a lovely guy, I was very fond of him,” she said. “He was a smasher.”

The funeral takes place at Blacon Crematorium at 2.40pm this Thursday (January 14) followed by a gathering at Artichoke cafe, bar and restaurant, where Geoff was a regular and some of his paintings remain on display.