MOURNERS flocked yesterday to pay their last respects to an Ebbw Vale man tragically killed in France, and brought Cardiff's Grangetown to a standstill.

Friends and family from all over Cardiff and Ebbw Vale had come to remember Arron Powell, "a man of action who lived for other people".

Mr Powell, 56, was killed in a train station in the French town of Orleans by a stab wound to his heart last month while travelling with family friend Claire Alderman. He had taken the break in order to get over the death of his 20-year-old daughter, Mandy, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in December 2000.

Police in France are holding a 19-year-old local man in connection with the death. Mr Powell's coffin was brought into St Paul's Church in Grangetown to the sounds of S Club 7's Have You Ever - one of his favourite songs.

Mr Powell's dedication to his family and friends, as well as his passion for rugby, was remembered in the emotional service led by Father Lawrence Davies.

He said: "His death shocked all of us who know him, and the world as a whole. "He was a man who loved his family and who lived for other people. A man who lived for the game of rugby and shared his talents with other people.

"He has left us with memories and we will never forget him." Father Davies added: "I want you to know that Maria has been very brave. I also want you to know that she has been supported by family and friends."

Players from the under-15s Caics rugby team in Cardiff, which Mr Powell coached until his death, were in attendance, as were players from the Beaufort rugby side of the 1960s and 1970s that he represented more than 100 times as an open-side flanker.

After the funeral ended with Abide With Me, chosen by wife Maria, (pictured) mourners spilled into Paget Street before making their way to Thornhill crematorium.

Among the floral tributes was a bouquet from the British Embassy in Paris. Speaking after the funeral, Eric Harmer, a close friend of Mr Powell's, who was also a pallbearer yesterday, said: "It's a sad day for the world and for all those who knew the 'big man'. He will be sorely missed, as he was one of life's gentlemen."