Glen Davie, who was a former chair of English UK's predecessor organisation ARELS, died at home in Brighton on December 23.

As founding principal of The English Language Centre in the city, he spent most of his working life in Brighton and his funeral will be held there, at the Downs Crematorium at 3pm on Monday January 12.

Phil Hopkins, ELC principal, said: "I've got so much time and respect for him: he was always very helpful and inspirational. Everything I have heard and read about him shows that he was passionate about the industry and very interested in standards and quality as well as being entrepreneurial. We are still working with many of the agents he started with years ago, and one Japanese agent tells me Glen helped him set up his business."

Mr Davie, who was an honorary member of English UK, was one of the pioneers of the EL industry, starting as a teacher at the British Centre in Stockholm in 1958, and becoming a teacher trainer three years later.

In 1962 he was asked to set up the English Language Centre in Brighton by the extra-mural board of Stockholm University, and he remained the school's principal for 25 years. During this time, Mr Davie became chair and later honorary president of ARELS, which he said was created by teachers motivated by the desire to raise quality in EL teaching in the UK. He was also involved in the creation of the four-week Celta course.

After his retirement in 1987, Mr Davie was invited to join the board of trustees of International House, and chaired the organisation for a couple of years in the early part of this century. He was guest of honour at the fiftieth birthday celebrations of The English Language Centre in 2012.