More than 200 cyclists and pedestrians formed the funeral procession for Oxford City Council's Green group leader, Dr Mike Woodin, who died last week.

Cllr Mike Woodin's funeral cortege passes along Broad Street

In keeping with Dr Woodin's dying wish, his cortege was car-free and instead his cardboard coffin was pulled on a trailer by a bicycle.

The coffin was decorated with green ribbons, pictures drawn by his two young children and sunflowers.

The procession left Abingdon Road shortly after 1.30pm yesterday (July 12) and wound its way past the town hall in St Aldate's, where hundreds of council staff and fellow councillors had gathered to pay their last respects.

The cortege turned right into the High Street, then up Turl Street before stopping briefly outside Balliol College, where Dr Woodin, 38, lectured in psychology. From there the procession travelled along Broad Street and on to Wolvercote Cemetery where a private service was held before the burial.

Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, who walked in the procession, said: "It's just such an enormous loss, not only to his family and friends, but to the Green Party and the wider public. As well as being a wonderful friend, Mike was everything a Green politician should be -- he had that rare ability to have a radical vision of how the world could be and the steps needed to achieve it.

"When you stop to think how much he achieved in such a short life you wonder what he would have gone on to achieve if he had enjoyed a full complement of years.

"He was an exceptionally generous spirit whose judgement I trusted absolutely."

Dr Woodin, who was married to Deborah and had two young children, lost a short battle against cancer last week. He did not smoke, ate only organic food and was committed to a healthy lifestyle.

Along with Dr Lucas, he was one of the Green Party's two national speakers, and stood in last month's European Parliament elections.

He was instrumental in seeing the number of Green members on the city council rise.

Teresa Murphy, a teacher at Grandpont Nursery, where Dr Woodin's four-year-old daughter, Talia, was a pupil, said: "I would see Mike most days on his bike with the children.

"He was a lovely father to a lovely family and everyone at the nursery was shocked and saddened when they heard about his death."

A public memorial service is now being planned. A by-election will be held in Dr Woodin's Carfax ward.

James Styring a green campaigner and member of Oxford cycle group Cyclox, said: "I always found Dr Woodin particularly inspiring.

"So did so many other people, judging by the hundreds who joined the procession."