Tributes have been paid to one of the founders of a rugby club in Isleworth, recognised as being among the best run in the UK.

Bernard 'Bunny' Walker was one of six rugby players who set up Grasshoppers RFC in 1950, which now plays at MacFarlane Lane, Isleworth, and five years ago became just the third club in England to be awarded a coveted 'Whole Club Seal of Approval' by the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

Bunny died at a nursing home on March 15, aged 89, eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

Club chairman Gary Cunningham said: "All current Grasshoppers should reflect on the massive role all the founders had in forming Grasshoppers and that like them we are simply the current custodians ready to pass the baton onto future Grasshoppers.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Bunny's family, especially his wife Joyce."

Bunny started his career as a scrum half, after being bitten by the rugby bug while at college, but played in many other positions.

He was one of six players who set up Grasshoppers RFC at the White Hart pub in Acton in January 1950. The club initially trained on Ealing Common but had a nomadic existence during its early years, playing in Greenford Avenue, Richmond Park and Osterley's Pyrene Club before settling on its current home in 1987.

The club has hosted a number of other sports, including golf and archery, and has its own netball section. In the 2009/10 season, it was awarded the RFU's Whole Club Seal of Approval, which recognises everything from financial management to coaching and refereeing.

Bernard 'Bunny' Walker's funeral will take place on Monday (April 13), at Christchurch Cemetery, Jumpers Avenue, Christchurch, Dorset.