A well-known sportsman and character who was a popular figure around not just Keswick but the whole of Cumbria has died, aged 63.
One of Paul ‘Bruno’ Weightman’s pre-occupations during his battle against prostate cancer was to ensure that none of his family and friends became gloomy, saddened or upset by his predicament.
This was very typical of Paul, exemplifying the lion-hearted bravery and magnanimity in which he specialised. Visiting Paul, in health and in sickness, had to be on the understanding that it was for a laugh and a craic and that the mind-set of both parties should be uplifted by the experience.
Conversation came naturally to Paul, and trips down memory lane were his favourite medium. The trips were detailed, sometimes irreverent and never sought to gloss over the occasional lapse or unfavourable outcome. Paul loved most to talk about his mam and dad, Windebrowe adventures with his brothers, Robert and Jamie, his gang of mates, Brigham School and Lairthwaite School in Keswick.
He loved his children — Emma, Glen and Joanna — and five grandchildren, and was never slow to say so.
Television rugby, football (he supported Liverpool), snooker, films, and fishing were areas of expertise for Paul and formed the basis for more discussion. He loved a laugh, and laughing came easily to him.
He became a popular figure at Keswick Rugby Club when he was persuaded to have a go at playing in 1988. He was a natural; he was fit, hard and strong and loved being at the sharp end of the action. In matches, Paul was perpetual motion, with an eye for fearless intervention. During his playing career he made friends all over the county and beyond, and often claimed that rugby changed his life.
He continued his association with rugby, mainly thanks to his dedicated support for his son Glen. Paul and his dad Robert became regular followers of Carlisle RFC and Kendal RFC and travelled nationwide when Glen won selection for the Cumbria side.
Paul was most proud to watch Glen play, twice, in the county final at Twickenham, particularly so when on the second occasion, there were five Keswick or ex-Keswick players, present in the Cumbria side.
He will be remembered by many at the town’s cricket club as the man who annually painted the pavilion on his own. He also helped out on the ground, principally on match days, and regularly attended matches where he joined his late father Robert, one of the famous ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ supporters on the river side of the ground, to watch his son, Glen, blast sixes into the River Greta.
Outside of sport, Paul’s other interests included music and attending Northern Soul ‘all nighters’. He loved the Blackpool Tower Ballroom events best with its electric, energetic, atmosphere and a bouncy floor which he said was easier on his knees.
His talent for writing poetry emerged after his mates persuaded him that his political raps, often delivered in the raucous style of Ian Paisley, would appeal to a wider audience if they were presented in a more refined manner.
Paul had a vivid imagination and a talent for rhyme and when he realised that poetry was an effective means of organising and expressing life experiences, and challenges to injustice, he set to work. Paul’s understanding of imagery helped him produce completely original poems.
Paul’s endearing capacity to talk to anybody, about anything, lost no momentum during the period from his diagnosis in May 2022 to his death aged 63 on Saturday April 29. Paul was positive from the start, promising he wasn’t going anywhere for a while and that he would continue walking the countryside for as long as he was able. In this respect he was literally following in his father Robert’s footsteps. Paul reasoned that walking had helped his dad’s longevity, now he needed it to help his.
Described by one of his nurses as ‘a model patient’, Paul was a man of the people, a complete one-off, who understood emotion and how best to put a smile on faces.
His funeral service will take place at Keswick Rugby Club on Friday May 12 at noon.
