Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Pritam Kaur (pictured above), considered the ‘matriarch’ of the Southampton Sikh community who passed away at the age of 94.

Mrs Kaur was born in India in 1930 before moving to the UK. She offered a listening ear to many in the city and was often sought out for her wisdom.

In the 1960s she married Aqbal Singh for around 39 years until he passed away.

She dedicated most of her life to raising her six children and later welcomed 29 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren, and nine great, great grandchildren into the family.

Starting at 10.30am, her life was celebrated at the Gurdwara Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib in St Mark’s Road.

Her son Sucha Singh said: “My mum was a matriarch because of her wisdom. People use to come to her all the time. Everybody went to her for guidance, and she listened to what the community had to say.

She was a wise and patient person with a loving manner. She attended the Gurdwara Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib in St Mark’s Road since it opened; she only lived around the corner.”