Funeral will celebrate Campbell

The Bluebird was recovered from the lake in March

CONISTON, England -- The late speed record breaker Donald Campbell is to make one final trip around the lake where he died 34 years ago.

Campbell's remains were discovered in Coniston Water, north England, earlier this year near the site where his Bluebird K7 craft disintegrated as he attempted to set a new water speed record.

He will be buried at St Andrew's Church in Coniston Water on Wednesday.

His coffin will be loaded on to a small boat and steered around the lake before being placed on a horse-drawn carriage and driven through the village of Coniston.

His widow, Tonia Bern-Campbell, who is now in her 70s and lives in Los Angeles where she works as a cabaret singer, and his sister, 77-year-old Jean Wales, will attend.

Campbell's nephew and godson, Don Wales, who himself currently holds the UK land speed record for an electric car, said Campbell's daughter, Gina, had spent months organising the details of the funeral, which will be a celebration of his life.

"Donald was a larger than life character and very charismatic and that is what we will be remembering next week," he told the Press Association.

"It will be a very respectful affair, hopefully, but not sombre. It is going to be a celebration of the life and achievements of a very brave man.

"He will have one last ride on the lake before he is laid to rest, I'm sure he would have liked that."

The remains of Campbell were discovered in May this year, two months after the Bluebird was finally lifted out of the water.

The 1.5 tonne wreckage was first sighted last December after a four-year search.

Campbell, son of Sir Malcolm Campbell, who himself held land and water speed records at different times, had been trying to break his own water speed record of 276 mph, when the nose of the boat lifted and the craft somersaulted repeatedly.