More than 70 people attended a thanksgiving service for the life of former newspaper editor David Astor.

Tributes were paid at All Saints' Church, Sutton Courtenay, near Abingdon, to an "unassuming man" who did much to help the village and its people. Mr Astor died in December aged 89. Sutton Courtenay, where his widow, Bridget, still lives, was his adopted village

The service was conducted by the vicar, the Rev Leighton Thomas, who referred to Mr Astor as a Good Samaritan who helped many people in the village.

He read passages from the book The Lion and the Unicorn, written by George Orwell, who is buried in the churchyard.

A member of the church choir, Qyra Cornwall, sang Pie Jesu from Faur's Requiem, one of Mr Astor's favourite pieces of music.

Mr Astor, a former editor of The Observer, moved to The Manor in Sutton Courtenay in 1945. He opened the grounds, including its swimming pool, for village events.

When the new hall opened 30 years ago, it was debt-free thanks to a cheque from him.

With the approval of Mrs Astor, the parish council is to buy a seat with a plaque in memory of her husband.

After the service, chairman John Francis said: "This remarkable man born into wealth and privilege touched the lives of ordinary people in this village.

"He was not a great churchgoer but a man with a social conscience who helped the less fortunate."