Tribute was paid yesterday to the bravery of Edward Peduzie, from Calne who died aged 25 after a long battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, CJD.

The former painter and decorator, who shared his time between the home of his father in Stokescroft and his mother's house in Pewsey, died on October 22, more than six years after being diagnosed with Variant CJD, the human equivalent of BSE, or mad cow disease, Friends believe the care given by Mr and Mrs Peduzie to their son was the reason he was one of the longest survivors of the incurable degenerative brain disease.

The funeral service took place at St Mary’s Church in Calne yesterday and Mr Peduzie’s coffin was carried in to the sounds of his favourite rap music.

Mr Peduzie’s mother, his father Paulsister Vicky and brother Benjamin led the mourners at the service attended by family and friends.

In his address, the Rev Bob Kenway told the congregation that Mr Peduzie was educated at Pewsey Vale School and qualified as a painter and decorator at Swindon College.

He worked for Calne building firm Wilkins before the disease made it impossible for him to continue with them.

Paul Peduzie told the congregation: “When Ed first became ill, if you asked him if he was all right, he would say, I’m all right.

“Then when he lost the use of his voice and you asked him the same question, he would give you a thumbs-up.

“When he lost the use of his hands, he just smiled. He was the bravest person I ever knew and I am proud to be his dad.”

After the congregation sang Jerusalem, Mr Peduzie’s coffin was carried out to the strains of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. He had been a keen supporter of Rugby Union.

Although Mr Peduzie had been diagnosed with Variant CJD, doctors do not believe he contracted the disease from contaminated meat.

The family were supported through Mr Peduzie’s illness by the CJD Support Network and mourners were invited to make contributions to the charity.

Maggie Rae, the director of public health in Wiltshire, said CJD was an extremely rare disease.

She said: “I want to reassure people that this rare case poses no infection risk to the public. There have been fewer than 170 cases of Variant CJD in the UK since 1995.”

A new form of CJD, called Variant CJD, was identified in 1996. In May 1995, air cadet Stephen Churchill of Devizes was the first person to die from it. He was 19.

The Health Protection Agency said Variant CJD is strongly linked to people eating meat from cattle infected with BSE. However the possibility of contracting Variant CJD from surgical procedures cannot be ruled out.

The Department of Health says there have been four possible cases of Variant CJD transmission through blood transfusion.

As a result of this, the Government announced that people who had received a blood transfusion since January 1980 would be excluded from donating blood.