TRIBUTES have been paid to a “vivacious and colourful” man who died after collapsing outside a seafront café.
Paul Walsh, from Hove, died after suffering a cardiac arrest at Carat’s Café in Southwick on May 14.
The 73-year-old had cycled to the cafe with his wife Laura when he suddenly collapsed after sitting down to have some water.
Paul’s friend Leah O’faolain described him as “the biggest heart there ever was”.
Leah and Paul became friends after they started working together at the former Age UK charity shop in George Street, Hove, where he volunteered for 15 years.
She told the Argus: “He was an incredibly passionate person about all sorts of humanitarian issues.
“He volunteered his time to so many different local community projects in Brighton and Hove.
“He believed in individuals and charities who helped people who were vulnerable and was proud to support local causes in the city that he loved.
“If you walked into the shop, or if you met him in the street, he was the kind of person where if you needed a shirt, he would give you the shirt off his back.”
A JustGiving page has been created to raise money for a defibrillator to be installed near Carat’s Café where Paul died.
Despite being set up for just ten days, the fundraiser is already more than halfway towards its £2,500 target.
Leah said installing a defibrillator would be a fitting tribute to Paul, who “spent so much of his life trying to save lives” in the city.
She said: “This would have meant a lot to him. The idea of saving lives in the local area that he lived and loved, and to do so in his name, would honour his name.
“I know that he would be so proud that his humanitarian heart could help other hearts in the future.
“I just know it would really tick his boxes.”
Leah said Paul’s friends and family have been overwhelmed by the response to the fundraiser, with people expressing interest in getting defibrillators installed in more areas of the city.
To donate to the fundraiser, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paul-walsh-defibrillator-fund
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