THE great and the good of Bristol came in their hundreds to remember a man who used his many gifts and talents in the service of others.

More than 500 people, including the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol Mary Prior, the High Sheriff of Bristol, Dr Tim Chambers and Lord Mayor Chris Davies attended a memorial service at Clifton Cathedral for leading city businessman Louis Sherwood, who died from cancer, aged 67.

Mr Sherwood, of College Road, Clifton, was a past Master of Bristol's Society of Merchant Venturers and played a key role in the cultural life of the city.

He had a glittering career in retailing in Britain and America but will be best remembered in Bristol as the chairman of the former HTV television company.

He is widely credited with overseeing its rescue from bankruptcy and establishing it as a hugely-successful media organisation.

The Dean of Clifton Cathedral, Canon Alan Finley, spoke of Mr Sherwood's strong Christian faith saying: "I'm sure Louis himself would want us to acknowledge that the good things he did and achieved, whatever he was able to do to improve society, was through the power of God, who helped him to use his gifts and talents in the service of others.

"His faith was the foundation of his life."

All his children paid personal tributes to their father.

His daughter Anne said: "The three of us have so many memories of Louis the dad."

She said his day would start at 6am with "rustling his papers" in his study and he would then go for a run before non-stop work until 11.30pm.

Christopher Sherwood said his father's enthusiasms ranged from a fine wine and good food to the more quirky including his collection of ties and enjoyment of the TV programme Baywatch.

Isabelle Sherwood said her father could be uncompromising and in his book, A on a school report stood for adequate, B was for bearable and C was catastrophic.

She said he was a true role model but said there was no doubt that the many wonderful things he did were due to the support, dedication, affection and confidence inspired by their mother.

Old school friend Keith McLennan spoke with affection of their time together at Westminster School in London where Mr Sherwood was captain of the school and later at New College, Oxford, where he was an outstanding scholar, graduating with a double first in Classics.

Mr McLennan said: "He just got so much done but for all his zest there was always a measured quality about him and he always made time for his friends."

Colonel Ivar (c) Hellberg, also paid tribute to his friend and spoke of spoke of Mr Sherwood's keen intellect, his love of fine wine and of Nicole who was to become his wife and mother to his three children.

He said Mr Sherwood faced his illness and final weeks in St Peter's Hospice with great fortitude that was an "example to us all".

John Savage CBE, chief executive of GWE Business West, said Mr Sherwood was one of the 16 founders of the Bristol Initiative, launched to try to address inequality in the city and give its citizens a better future.

He described Mr Sherwood as an "accomplished and acutely effective businessman" who devoted a considerable part of his life to the renewal of the Harbourside.

He was the main instigator of cultural initiatives such as @Bristol, which he helped launch in 1995/96, and the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, where he was a director.

He was also a leading proponent of the bid to develop a new showpiece concert hall for the city.

As a member of Bristol's Society of Merchant Venturers, he became the Master in 2003.

The partnership between the Society and the establishment of the Merchants' Academy at Withywood, where he made a substantial financial as well as personal commitment, were ventures in which he played a central part.

In 2004 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration by University of the West of England and this year Bristol University made him Doctor of Laws in recognition of his outstanding personal achievements and his contribution to the advancement of the cultural, educational and business interests of Bristol and the region.