Enthusiast leaves huge collection of beer memorabilia to friend

IT IS certainly one of the more unusual legacies bequeathed in a will.

But after a lifetime spent hunting down some of the rarest beer mats in the world, Ian Calvert was determined that the fruits of his labour should go to a good home.

Following his tragic death, Mr Calvert's will revealed that his extraordinary collection of more than 27,000 beer mats was to be left to his friend and fellow "tegestologist" Dennis Harle.

Among them are the world's smallest beer mats, made for a dollhouse, as well as some of the oldest mats produced in the UK, dating back to 1929.

Gathered from around the world – with some costing hundreds of pounds – the 48-year-old IT project manager had them all neatly filed away in a study at his home in Slateford.

His widow Lesley, 41, said he had left instructions about the collection, and said it was only right that Mr Harle kept the mats.

"Dennis was one of the first collectors Ian met, and they have been such close friends through their hobby," she said.

"He will give them a good home, I'm sure of that.

"It is so hard to think he's gone."

Mr Harle, 62, from Bathgate, said: "I've really no idea what I'll do with the mats, and I'm still a little shocked.

"We met in 1977 and we used to go collecting together. I helped him with his books as well, and he was a lovely guy and a good friend."

Born in Edinburgh in 1959, Ian attended Gracemount Primary School until the family moved out to Livingston.

A lifelong Hearts fan, he was a season ticket holder and used to go to every match with his daughter from his first marriage Samantha.

He was also an avid fan of punk music from an early age, and still regularly attended gigs.

Beer mat collecting was the hobby he was most fond of, however, having started in 1977 by joining the British Beermat Collecting Society.

His first mat was picked up while helping his father deliver beer for Drybrough's of Edinburgh, and at one stage he had more than 30,000 mats.

In 2006 he published his first book, A Guide to Collecting Beer Mats, and had almost completed a book on pre-war beer mats before his death.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2003, but tried his best not to let it affect his life, and only told his parents a few years ago about his condition.

His mother Jeanette said: "He was a lovely man, and he was my first child and I'll miss him so much.

"He used to come and visit at Christmas and on birthdays, and I always used to tell him to come more often.

"We only found out a few years ago that he had Parkinson's as he hadn't wanted to worry us. He was that sort of person, he just wanted to get on with his life."

He is survived by his mum , dad Ian, brother Michael, 47, sisters Lorraine, 45, and Yvonne, 40, wife Lesley, and daughter Samantha.

A funeral service will be held at the Lorimer Chapel of Warriston Crematorium on 12 April, at 1pm.