Tributes paid to popular teacher
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former teacher who dedicated his life to helping young people.
Paul Dearden, from Cowpe, died suddenly on March 8 at Royal Blackburn Hospital after a three-year battle with prostate cancer, aged 59.
A teacher at Fearns Community Sports College for more than a decade, Paul was also a driving force behind the youth club in Weir for 15 years.
Born in Bacup, Paul attended Fearns as a pupil and then entered sixth form at BRGS.
His brother Barry said teaching “was his life”.
Barry said: “He did it for nearly 30 years, and he always enjoyed it. Paul was heavily involved in out-of-school activities. School for him – for a lot of people – felt like success or failure depended on the academic side, but he thought there were a lot more things you could get out of it. Whether it was organising abseiling or swimming under a fiveman kayak, if it could give them confidence then he would do it. He ran youth clubs for 15 years and worked at various youth clubs around the Valley. He believed that if you could make a difference, you should.”
After qualifying, Paul returned to his old school Fearns as a teacher in 1979. He later joined Rossendale School, and then Rhyddings school in Oswaldtwistle, before retiring from teaching in 2006. Throughout his career, Paul specialised in working with vulnerable pupils, working in the pupil support unit at Rhyddings.
Outside work, he acted with St Mary’s Players and Rossendale Players.
He loved to travel to France and bought a house in Meymac. A music lover, Paul had a collection of more than 300 records which he kept in a room containing just a sofa and stereo where he could enjoy his music idol, David Bowie.
His admiration of manager Brian Clough inspired a lifelong support of Nottingham Forest.
In the last years of his life he had moved from his home in Weir into a house with his mother in Cowpe.
Barry added: “He was unbelievably positive about being ill, he even did a play last year and kept active for as long as he could. He kept a firm grip on putting the treatment on one side and enjoying his life. We always knew it would be terminal but in the last month he deteriorated quite rapidly and in the end it was very sudden. It was very sad but in a sense it was a very peaceful end.
“He was a people’s person - wherever he lived he would join the pub quiz or pool team. “After our dad passed away 30 years ago he became the patriarch of the family, a father figure to us.
“We’re a very close family, and he will be very missed.”
Fearns headteacher Helen Stead extended the school’s sympathies to Paul’s family. He leaves a mother, sister, brother, nieces and nephews, brother-in-law and sisterin-law. His funeral will take place on Wednesday, March 22 with prayers at Hamer’s Chapel of Rest and cremation at Burnley Crematorium.
See Obituaries on p14.