Paul Beeton
The funeral of Paul Beeton will take place on Tuesday 7th July at 1pm:-
LEEDS PARISH CHURCH
KIRKGATE, LEEDS, LS2 7DJ
All are welcome afterwards to meet at :-
THE CONFERENCING & BANQUETING SUITE
ELLAND ROAD FOOTBALL GROUND
LEEDS, LS11 0EJ
(ample parking)
FAMILY FLOWERS ONLY.
Donations to The British Heart Foundation or Cancer Research
It is with the greatest sadness that we record the passing of Paul Beeton, President Elect of The United Kingdom Alliance on the morning of Saturday 20th June. Paul passed away at The Craig-y-Don Hotel in Blackpool, which was referred to by Paul as his second home. He spent a very jovial last evening in the company of Kathy Gilmartin and her brother Owen and his family, and all the indicators are that he had a very peaceful end. I spoke with him on Friday evening and he was in very good spirit looking forward to the weekend of the Premier Medallist.
Paul had been fiercely loyal to the UKA for more than 40 years, and represented us on the British Dance Council and Theatre Dance Council. He represented us every where he went and we are very proud that his name and the UKA were irrevocably linked. His knowledge of every style of dance has proved invaluable to us. Although he has achieved world wide acclaim in Latin-American he was a British Champion in Showdance & Tap. Everyone who came into contact with Paul soon realised his genius, and his legacy of training and knowledge will live on for ever in the pupils that he made into champions and the countless non competitors that he led into the world of dance teaching. Paul was at his best as Chairman of Adjudicators and in my wide experience I have never come across anyone who was more in touch with every part of an event than he was.
The UKA are proud that we are a closely knit family, and we are all completely numbed by this sudden loss of one of our mainstays. The gap can never be filled. At the Premier Medallist event over 1800 UKA medallists and their teachers showed their love and thanks for the huge contribution that Paul has made. Almost every teacher present had a personal connection with Paul, and because of his involvement in the medallist event for decades hundreds of the pupils also knew him. The UKA does not do silence very well so we decided to make a beautiful noise. The three cheers for Paul’s life and the clapping and cheering that followed raised the roof of The Empress Ballroom. A fitting tribute to a great man in the greatest ballroom on earth.
David Roberts
C.E.0. United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing