Final farewell to a selfless volunteer
A heartfelt tribute has been paid to a selfless lifeboat volunteer, who devoted his retirement to helping others.
Described as a ‘lovely and funny’ man, former Pagham parish councillor Mike Cole died weeks after his 80th birthday, on June 30.
Born in Middlesex at the start of the Battle of Britain, Mike was a chief draughtsman in a drawing office before moving, with his wife Lina, to Pagham.
Mike, a lover of the sea and sailing, joined Pagham Yacht Club where he eventually became commodore and, latterly, vice president. In 1996, he started working for a firm which built luxury yachts. After his retirement, Mike became involved with Selsey Lifeboat Station, holding fundraising events and arranging educational visits for the youth members. He was appointed lifeboat visits officer in 2012, four years after he began volunteering.
Mike’s niece Laura Latchford said: “He ran the Coastguard displays on the beach and would go round collecting money at the beach. He was retired but always wanted to help in any way he could.”
Laura set up a fundraiser page in the hope of pulling in £200 to support the work of Selsey Lifeboat Station.
However, in just a week, Laura raised more than £900 and there are now plans to buy a plaque in Mike’s memory.
She said: “It shows what people thought of him. We didn’t realise how much of an impact he had on people. People loved him and he was so special.”
Mourners lined Pagham Road on Tuesday morning, ahead of Mike’s funeral, to pay their respects.