The heartbroken family of personal trainer Simon Daniels have shared an emotional statement following his death, saying his vibrant personality ‘had this power to bring everyone together’
A family have paid tribute to a “popular and inspirational” paddleboarder after he was sadly discovered dead.
Simon Daniels, from Cheshire, vanished after his inflatable paddleboard capsized in Dovestone Reservoir in Oldham on Sunday. Greater Manchester Police issued an appeal and said a man and woman had fallen into the water. Emergency services rushed to the beauty spot and managed to locate the woman. She was treated for hypothermia and shock.
The force joined forces with teams including Coastguard and Mountain Rescue. On Wednesday, the body of the personal trainer was discovered at around 6.15pm on Wednesday. Following on from the tragedy, Mr Daniel’s family issued an emotional statement through the police force.
They described Simon as having a “pure heart” and said he was “hilarious”. In the statement, they said: “Simon is our world, he’s funny, unpredictable and has a heart as big as an ocean. His larger than life and his crazy personality lit up every room and his love, kindness and inspiration touched so many people who he met. Simon was a friend to everyone, nobody was a stranger in his eyes. His passions were fitness and the gym and helping others to become the best version of themselves. His heart was pure and he was unapologetically himself. Funny doesn’t cut it. He was hilarious. He had this power to bring everyone together. He just wanted everyone to be friends.
“He loved life and even at the darkest of times he still managed to light up the room. The community have also shown how much they loved Simon, church bells have rang in his memory along with fireworks. We had no idea how popular and inspirational he was in our local community.”
Laura Crossley from Oldham CID said: “Throughout this tragic incident we have been in close contact with Simon’s family and will continue to offer them our support as they come to terms with their loss. His death is not being treated as suspicious and the scene has now been closed.
“A report is being prepared for the coroner. We appreciate the public’s support in enabling search teams to carry out their investigations, we understand the inconvenience this may have caused over the last few days, but it was important we conducted a full and thorough search for Simon.”
His friends and family have also taken to social media to pay tribute. One person wrote: “Winsford is at a very heartbreaking standstill at the moment all hoping and praying for your safe return, but also understanding that may not be the case. But you have a town praying so hard for you right now. With love and support.”
Another commented: “To all Simon’s family we are all sending you strength and love and we are all so sorry. I wish this was a nightmare and we could all just wake up and see our hero. A true loyal friend and the world will be dark without you.”
