said by Andyb
on Thursday, 18 January 2007, 4:46pm

I am absolutely shocked about the death of Paul. He was such a massive part of Pride and I had dealings with him on mamy occasions. He was always so busy having so much responsibility in ensuring the Pride event went off without a hitch - just so committed to the cause. But he would still always somehow make time to talk to you and seemed to solve problems in no time at all.

Paul was a great character and I for one will miss the banter and chats I used to have with him.

My sincere condolences to Paul's family and friends.

Andy Feest
Queens Arms

said by WildFruit
on Friday, 19 January 2007, 11:15am

It is with sadness & shock that I heard of the death of Paul Wilde. I met Paul over ten years ago whilst working on Brighton Pride & he has be a trusted personal friend & colleague ever since.

Paul on first impressions could come across as a dodgy market trader type, but as I got to know him personally he became a friend who I could confide in and someone who I trusted for sound advice.

Paul was essential to the success of so many events that we have all been part of & enjoyed including Brighton, Birmingham, Bournemouth & London Prides to name just a few. Working tirelessly behind the scenes he never held back in speaking common sense at essential planning meetings with the statutory authorities, often winning people over with his cheeky charm and no bullshit attitude as well as putting people in their place when need be.

I know Paul will be missed by so many people from so many different walks of life, professional & personal. This really sums Paul up - able to communicate on so many different levels.

I will miss the opportunity to work with Paul again but more so the good times and the great fun and laughs that Paul brought to our lives. My thoughts are with his friends and family.

Always a showman, unforgettable & irreplaceable!

Paul kemp
Wild Fruit / Aeon events

said by Lola_L
on Friday, 19 January 2007, 11:16am

It's such a shock that Paul has gone so suddenly.
He was a pleasure to work with, and a joy to know.
The world will be a quieter and less organised place without him! Sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Lola Lasagne

said by Arena
on Friday, 19 January 2007, 11:16pm

On Wednesday morning we took a painful phone call, learning that Paul Wilde will no longer be with us.

We met Paul about ten years ago working on the Brighton Pride Festival. James Ledward introduced us to Paul and it was a no turning back relationship. Subsequently we worked with Paul on all his Pride events. Paul was amazing. He was direct, sincere & really friendly. He inspired us to rise to challenges and taught us you can always stay calm and most importantly be friendly, kind and polite even when the shit is hitting the preverbial fan! Paul had a way that made you feel safe, just knowing he was there at the end of the phone.

Last week we were at Paul's office on buisness when - even though Paul was obvisously very busy - he interupted the meeting to take us and our three year old daughter for a ride in his car to show Josephine the city sights. This was Paul all over - he always made time for everybody.

Paul was a rock, tremendous support and someone you would be honoured to call and friend.

Thank you for everything Paul we will miss you terribly.

NAMASTE

Coral & Matt ++ (Arena)
Josephine ++

said by highlighter85
on Sunday, 21 January 2007, 7:25pm

He was a great man, and I had the pleasure to work with him. It is with great sadness that Paul Wilde will no longer be with us. Sympathy thoughts are with his family at this time.

said by _Skip_
on Saturday, 3 February 2007, 6:18am

I have been involved with Brighton Pride for its total run, organising both the successful Parade and Medical Services. It was always a pleasure to work with Paul Wilde who also worked extremely hard as the Brighton Pride Festival Producer, ensuring the safety and health of all those attending Pride until his untimely death in January.

Brighton Pride has struggled through the years to enable this internationally acclaimed event to occur annually; Paul Wilde has always constantly promoted its success by also being consistently involved in the Brighton Pride Production for its entirety.

I personally believe that Brighton Pride has not had to charge a Public entrance fee to the Festival due only to the hard work and skilled negotiating skills of Paul Wilde. The true Pride Producer was always Paul Wilde and he remained dedicated to its annual success with the enviable energy of a young man.

Paul Wilde produced this annual show that attracted crowds of 150,000 to Brighton for Pride. This not only allowed ANY person to attend and enjoy themselves, but this also produced a financial input of many millions of pounds into the coffers of our Brighton and Hove local businesses, be they hotels, restaurants, shops, off-licences, bars, taxis, buses or train services; despite Paul being London based and not a Brighton resident.

Paul Wilde was also a great admirer and supporter of the volunteers of St John Ambulance, especially towards Regency Division. He insisted that we supplied him a First Aider for the whole of the Festival ‘build-up’ period and gave a donation towards our charitable work. He then also gave a ‘personal’ present to each volunteer that helped as a means of rewarding them for their volunteer work and as a mark of his appreciation for the work that we do.

St John Ambulance volunteers cover a 12 hour period during the Brighton Pride Festival and feeding our 100 plus volunteers was always difficult until we obtained our own mobile catering unit. Prior to this, Paul Wilde always arranged a market trader to supply food and drinks to our volunteers by issuing vouchers; he always disregarded my offers of payment and paid for all our refreshments himself; saving St John Ambulance something in the region of £1,000 which could then be ploughed back into care, transport and training.

Paul Wilde was also very quick to ensure that other bills were taken away from us by either agreeing terms for cancellation or by paying the bills himself.

Paul was a true gentleman and I will miss his personal support immensely. I will also always be indebted to him for the support that he gave to my work as The Brighton Pride Parade Director over all those years.

It will be difficult to find an appropriate replacement for Paul and future Prides will never be the same without his essential and personal input.

Terry Wing
Assistant Staff Officer
Operations
St John Ambulance - London.
Past Brighton Pride Parade Director and Founder of Regency Division in St John Ambulance - Sussex.