Touching tributes paid to Paul Wheater - "Whitby's Jim Reeves"

Born in Skelton, Paul grew up in Castleton and his parents were wardens at Westerdale Youth Hostel, where he met his wife-to-be Jill.

Paul sang a lot in pubs and clubs around the North East and Yorkshire in the early part of his career.

It was in the mid-1980s when he realised that singing in smoky pubs was going to impact his voice and he needed a different way to reach his audiences, so he took his music to markets and country shows around the region, singing for eight hours a day, come rain, snow or sunshine.

But then he sent a copy of his album to Anne Robinson to play on Radio Two in what proved to be a life-changing moment.

His daughter Sarah recalled: “That went out on the Saturday morning and on the Monday, the postman came down the drive with two full mail sacks – it was letters from people saying they’d heard him on the show and wanted a copy of his CD.

"He had given his address out with details of how to order the CD and got 7,000 letters in a week!

"His parting shot to Anne Robinson had been ‘maybe I will hire London Palladium’.

"People then said they looked forward to it and that became the next project."

In fact, the show at the London Palladium was a sell-out! Jill enlisted her friends to form a team to deal with all the post while Paul strolled around like a star, drinking tea and offering helpful suggestions to the “packing department”.

He moved from market stalls to theatres and travelled the country performing.

He became a Christian and began attending Whitby Evangelical Church and moved on to doing church shows and gospel music.

A conservative estimate was that he had travelled a million miles in his lifetime as an entertainer, with the mileometer on one of his cars finally packing up at 325,000 miles.

Having performed at a gospel music convention in Fraserburgh, Scotland, he wanted to bring such a festival to Whitby.

The first one took place in 2000, and Paul had performers on such as Cannon and Ball, George Hamilton IV, Helen Shapiro and other Christians from the world of music.

He continued with the convention for many years, retiring just prior to the Covid lockdown in 2020.

Paul is also the Whitby area’s most successful Masters Heavy athletics competitor, holding several UK records for specialist throwing events, with many gold medals for UK, European and World Championships.

Following his wife Jill’s death in 2007, Paul took part in a sponsored throw-a-thon on Whitby beach where he threw the hammer for a total distance of one mile to raise money for Saint Catherine’s and the British Heart Foundation.

Paul, who lived on Eskdaleside, Sleights, was also keen on sport, following the fortunes of Whitby Town Football Club – watching the Blues win the FA Vase at Wembley in 1997 – and also enjoyed going to watch Yorkshire play cricket at Scarborough with younger daughter Lucy.

More recently, he developed heart failure but friends rallied to look after him, ensuring that he could be at home when he passed.

"He was a staunch Yorkshireman who loved Yorkshire,” said Sarah.

"He always used to put out the Yorkshire flag on August 1, so you could see it all the way across the valley in Aislaby.

"His nickname was Yorkshire’s Jim Reeves, because of how alike their voices were.”

Sarah added: “It’s been really moving, everyone’s said what a thoroughly lovely man he was and I second that for sure.”

Paul’s funeral takes place on Friday April 19 at Whitby Evangelical Church, 12.30pm, followed by interment at Sleights Churchyard.

Donations to the British Heart Foundation will be taken at the funeral and flowers can be sent to John Corner Funeral Service at Hawsker.

His eldest son David will be playing his father’s Gibson guitar at the service.

He leaves children David, Sarah and Lucy and three grandchildren.