Black horses with ostrich plumes waited patiently at a St Albans church today (Thursday), as hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the grandmother of a mixed martial arts fighter.

Dagnall Street Baptist Church hosted the funeral of Icilda Callum (Myrtle), aged 76, at about midday, with the service given by Rev Simon Carver.

Among the 350 mourners attending the service was Ben ‘The Situation’ Callum, a professional UK middleweight MMA fighter, and UCMMA middleweight champion.

A funeral procession, which included a horse-drawn hearse and limousines, left the church after 2pm, guided by police officers along High Street and St Peter’s Street, to Hatfield Road, where an act of committal took place at the cemetery at 2.30pm.

Icilda, formerly of St Albans, had moved to St Christopher Nursing Home in Hatfield 10 days prior to her death, on July 5.

In a touching tribute to her, a source at the home told the Herts Advertiser: “Icilda had a lovely personality; she was a bubbly person. Although she was here for just 10 days, because she had been poorly, Icilda had a great sense of humour, and her family were very friendly, and very fond of her. We enjoyed her time here with us, even though it wasn’t long.”

After the burial, friends and family gathered at the Irish Club in London Colney for refreshments.