Our Dad - We miss him dearly. He meant the World to us.

Our Dad Paul Myles lost his battle with cancer on 27th August 2018. A much loved man who was at the heart of the community died at the age of 71. Our dad touched the lives of so many through his work with numerous voluntary and community organisations in his home town of Burgess Hill.

Our Dad battled right to the end, he was a great man, a great husband, a great dad, a great brother and a great grandad. We had a brilliant upbringing. A lot of our friends looked up to him and saw him as a positive influence. He just did so much. It is really humbling to see all of the tributes coming in.

Our dad meant the world to us and we miss him immensely. He had such a calm temperament and he was a very positive person, which made it easy for him to deal with people from all backgrounds. He didn’t have an easy upbringing, he lost his mum at 18 and older brother at 21. He was one of those people who had to do something. The amount of time he used to spend at home working, he had so many different hats. He was instrumental in bringing the skate park to Burgess Hill. He had a real passion for helping young carers and supporting and helping young people. The boys club was his life and soul. It makes us very proud. We knew what he had been doing for the last 30 years, but we didn’t know what impact he had had on people. Clearly our dad has left a big legacy.

Mum would have been married 48 years this October. Mum had a wonderful 48 years of marriage, she will dearly miss our dad. Mum wrote “We did so much as a family. We always went abroad – we went on lots of ski trips in the Alps. We had a lot of spontaneous holidays too. We knew we were going away but we didn’t know where we were going before we set off. We met when I was 17 and he was 19. We got married when I was 20. I just lost my brother too, he was the same age. I lost both of them within a week.

We as a family have been left humbled by the support from the community and the tributes pouring in for our Dad. The funeral will take place at St John's church in Burgess Hill on Thursday 13th September at 1pm. Rather than flowers we have decided to set up this Just Giving page to raise funds for our dad's beloved Burgess Hill Youth club which is situated on Western Road, Burgess Hill.

https://burgesshillyouth.org/

A calm and positive person, our dad had a passion for helping young people. He did everything for his beloved Burgess Hill Youth and when he was at home he was a loving husband, dad, grandad, brother, uncle & friend.

Jackie Cooper - Chairman - Burgess Hill Youth wrote:

Paul touched the lives of so many people in Burgess Hill through his work with numerous voluntary and community organisations including Christmas Parcels, the Community House, Young Carers but most importantly his thirty years connection with Burgess Hill Youth formally Burgess Hill Boys Club.

Over the years Paul held every post going in running the Club odd job man, caretaker and gardener, Secretary, Chairman and Youth Worker often carrying out many of the roles at the same time. Paul had the ability to draw you in by sharing his enthusiasm for young people and his work to give them a safe, secure place to grow, develop and mature.

In the last few months I have been moved by the support that has been offered to the Club when I’ve needed help. No request for help was refused often with the response ‘When I went to the club Paul did lots of things for me……He was like a Dad to me…..’

Paul ran the Community House in Denham Road for many years providing support and advice for many families.

Paul will leave a legacy in the provision of support he has provided for young carers of Burgess Hill and surrounding areas. He supported the initiative from the outset with the first event in 2009 and enjoyed the celebrations of the 50th event in 2017. These events and the support for the families would not have happened without Paul agreeing to lead these on behalf of Burgess Hill Youth.

In addition to his work in Burgess Hill he was Chairman of Sussex Clubs for Young People steering it through many troubled times but leaving it in a strong position to serve young people in Sussex in the future.

https://sussexcyp.co.uk/

Paul will be greatly missed by many people both old and young and he leaves a huge gap in the community and our hearts.

Burgess Hill Town Council worked with our Dad for many years on a wide-range of initiatives, most importantly the young carers programme. Pru Moore, leader of the town council, said "For the past ten years we have jointly run young carers activities with Burgess Hill Youth, currently we have 80 young people on the books and we run 15 activities a year."

"Paul had a wealth of experience as a youth worker and his special contribution was creating an environment in which children felt safe and had fun. He will be sadly missed by many people."

Burgess Hill Cricket Club has also paid tribute to Paul. A spokesman said: “We are very sad to hear the news that after a courageous battle with cancer, Paul Myles passed away. “For those who don’t know him, Paul has spent decades helping run what was Burgess Hill Boys Club, now Burgess Hill Youth. “They have provided activities and help to so many young people in the town. “A number of our club have passed through the doors over the years and Paul was a shining example to volunteering, doing it with passion and an unwavering commitment. You will be missed by many, RIP Paul.”

The family would like to say Thank You

Paul received care from St Peter and St James Hospice and was looked after at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath and the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. Paul spent his final weeks at The Goldbridge care home in Haywards who were so caring and understanding. “We couldn’t fault the care at all, wherever he went he had excellent care,” added Karen.

Mid Sussex Times

The Mid Sussex times reporter Jennifer Logan has truly captured the tributes, hearts and minds of us a family and of the cummunity. We are so pleased with the coverage recognising our dad's commitment, leadership and dedication to the young people of Burgess Hill and Sussex. Thanks very much Mid Sussex Times for all your support.

Read more at: https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/tributes-to-paul-myles-who-touched-the-lives-of-so-many-in-burgess-hill-1-8620791

https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/family-s-heartfelt-tribute-to-paul-myles-who-did-so-much-for-burgess-hill-1-8623693

We are raising funds for Burgess Hill Youth

As a family we would like in lieu of flowers donations towards Burgess Hill Youth. This has been my dad's passion for over 30 years. The Boys club as it was formally known came into being in November 1959.

Please donate on this JustGiving page and we can assure you all funds will go to my Dad's beloved Burgess Hill Youth.

Burgess Hill Youth are seeking funding to run activities for their clubs for young people. They are also seeking to purchase a mini bus to run activities for their young carers programme and the club.

Burgess Hill Youth are also seeking funding for a robust, weatherproof lockable noticeboard to help promote the Club. This will cost in the region of £1,000. We would welcome a sponsor for the noticeboard, with the understanding that their name will be displayed permanently on the board.

Welcome

Burgess Hill Youth (formerly Burgess Hill Boys Club) welcomes girls and boys, and provides a range of activities for the town’s younger people.

Lots of fun activities and open to new members… just come along to a session:

Mondays:

7.00pm – 8.30pm: School Year 7 – End of School Year 11

Wednesdays:

6.30pm – 8.00pm: Aged 8 – End of School Year 6

Donations so far:

Jean & Chris Davies - Close friends of mum & dad donated £500 directly to Burgess Hill Youth. Thank you for getting us off the mark, this is very generous of you.

Please do give generously. We do appreciate all your support, kind words and the tributes. Our dad will leave a huge gap in the community and our hearts.

We miss you dad.

Love you with all our hearts.

Karen, Daniel & Matthew Myles