Sue Duport, Paul Wheatley’s long-time collaborator at Guernsey Mobility Let’s Go, the charity promoting inclusive activity in the island, summed him up well.
‘Paul once said that if he won the lottery he would provide sports coaching to less-able individuals,’ she said. ‘He didn’t win the lottery, but still delivered on his promise.
‘Perhaps his greatest legacy is the partnership between Guernsey Mobility Let’s Go and St Martin’s School.’
Every year, Year 5 children from the school support the weekly sessions and get involved with those taking part.
Paul, who died suddenly in April, has left so many legacies from his 20 years in Guernsey. He connected with so many sports, charities and good causes – and his volunteering was always delivered with a smile and relentlessly cheerful attitude.
‘Paul was passionate about all sports but over the last 10 years he was an amazing advocate for inclusion and ensuring people of all abilities and disabilities had access to a range of sports,’ she added.
I knew Paul through a couple of years when we were both working at Sir Charles Frossard House. While there I started social football which became the veterans team Government United and ultimately today’s CF Independant.
Paul was among our original batch of players, a great enthusiast and contributor, and took on coaching duties for our training. I will be forever grateful for his most simple advice to take a throw in ‘up the line’, given there was a chance we might win another throw a few yards further forward.
He left the club after a couple of years with no bad feeling – frankly there was so much more for him to do in life. There was volunteering, physical challenges, often on a bicycle, sports coaching, ultimately a granddaughter to spend time with, and plenty of hobbies, including a love of nature, photography, sketching and travel.
I also reconnected with him when he was committed to supporting the coaching of girls and women’s football as it went through a rocky period locally – today’s success owes a lot to Paul’s involvement and support.
But by then he was also committed to walking football. He played a key role in the establishment of the sport locally and went on to play and coach internationally in both walking football and 11-a-side football at age group levels, representing England and Australia and coaching England women to international success, and Rwanda men.
He was officially recognised on the Sports Commission’s coaching roll of honour in 2025.
Paul came to Guernsey with wife Jacqui and young daughters Jo and Kay in 2005.
After a childhood in north London, Paul, aged 18, stayed in Britain when the rest of his family moved to Australia. He moved to the Isle of Wight where he got involved in volunteering in sports, particularly sailing and football.
By taking on a group of girls on the island who wanted to play football, he took them to the UK mainland to train with Southampton, where he met Jacqui in 1981, and the couple married four years later.
The Guernsey Cheshire Home was among those to pay tribute.
‘Paul was brilliant with our residents, and we always looked forward to the Guernsey Mobility Let’s Go sessions he helped bring to life. Over more than a decade, Paul played a leading role in developing something truly special. He recognised early on that it should never be limited to wheelchair users, but instead focus on mobility, inclusion, and bringing people together.
‘Through his dedication, Paul secured venues, funding, equipment, and coaches, creating a weekly opportunity for individuals to enjoy sport, socialise, and build confidence. Not content with stopping there, he introduced Year 5 pupils from St Martin’s School as mini coaches, giving hundreds of local children the chance to be part of something meaningful.
‘Thank you, Paul. You made a genuine difference, and your ethos so closely mirrored that of the Home.’
Laurel Le Tocq from Little Champs described Paul as ‘a wonderful man who was totally dedicated to sport for all and who had such a massive role to play in the island’s disability sport scene.’
Emily Nuttall also coached with and participated in sports with Paul. ‘Paul helped me so much as a coach to empower grow and inspire others, but also on a personal level through my own disability sports journey.’
The Walking Football Association said: ‘Paul was a huge character in walking football and was well known and loved around the world. His endless drive and enthusiasm will be sorely missed by so many.’
And the local walking football club said: ‘If ever there was an example of the phrase “To get a job done, give it to a busy man” it applied to Paul.’
