Self-made Bill was a 'first-class bloke'

FRIENDS have led tributes to a man who devoted his life to the building trade and the church.

William Riley, known to most as Bill, died at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire on Saturday, March 7 after losing a fight against a type of pneumonia.

DEVOTED MAN: 87-year-old builder William Riley has died after losing a fight against pneumonia. Below, William Riley and Salt-Riley Builders employees on a trip to Blackpool in 1953.

The 87-year-old, who lived in the Westlands, Newcastle, is well-known as the man behind Sandyford-based Salt-Riley builders, a company he built from scratch in 1947 and which employed around 100 people.

Mr Riley spent 70 years in the building trade taking on contracts from local authorities such as Stoke-on-Trent City Council and private clients including pottery companies and Robinsons brewery, in Stockport.

Ian Cameron became Mr Riley's financial adviser in the early 1970s and continued to work for him up until his death. The pair eventually became close friends.

The 67-year-old, from Newcastle, said: "Bill was a very intelligent self-made man. As a builder there was nothing he couldn't turn his hand to."

He added: "He was a very kind man and generous to worthy causes, particularly the church, which he was very into.

"Bill was very much dedicated to that and his knowledge of the history of the church, particularly the Roman Catholic church, was phenomenal."

Mr Riley, a World War Two veteran who served in Egypt and Germany, retired in 2005 aged 84 after a period of ill health.

He told The Sentinel at the time that after 70 years he wished he could "go back and do it all again".

Plans for his retirement included a visit to a monastery off the coast of Scotland.

Mr Riley also enjoyed weekly trips with Mr Cameron to the Castle Mona pub in Newcastle and he would meet one of his other friends, Peter Bradshaw, for lunch each week.

The two struck up their friendship in the 1950s when Mr Bradshaw was working as an architect for Robinsons brewery.

The 86-year-old, who lives in Woodley, in Lancashire, said: "Bill had a lovely sense of humour.

"He was a first-class bloke, a great friend of mine and I will miss him very much."

He added: "We'd put the world to rights every week over lunch."

Mr Riley, who also played football for Brentford FC around the time of the war, was a widower and his friends say he has few family members in the Potteries.

His funeral takes place in Preston on Tuesday, March 31.