He suffered serious head injuries following his fall and had to be airlifted to Southampton Hospital. He sadly died a few days later on 26 May.
Now his niece, Shannon Norman, has opened a crowdfunding page, with the help of her mum Deborah, to install a bench in his memory. Every year since his passing, Shannon and her younger sister Megan send balloons with messages for Paul “up to heaven” but she decided to do something that would last. She thought of a bench “…so that all who knew Paul can have a special place to go to remember him.”
Pictured: Paul Channing on a bouncy castle, “He was always the person to make you laugh and brightened up everyone’s day” said Deborah.
The young girl fondly remembers “Uncle Paul”: “I loved him. He was very funny, we have lots of memories of playing with him. He was a really good person. I want a bench in his name so that people can remember him. I miss him so much.”
Writing on the crowdfunding page, Deborah Norman said: “Paul Channing was a devoted, kind, caring, hard-working family-man who loved nothing more than to be with the people who he cared for. He was always the person to make you laugh and brightened up everyone’s day. Although his jokes were sometimes not fully understood, you could not help but laugh along. Paul was a family man who was married to his soulmate and had three beautiful children.”
Shannon originally wanted the bench to be on St. Catherine’s Breakwater as Paul loved fishing. However due to restrictions, the Department for Infrastructure informed her that it wasn’t possible. They offered an alternative spot on top of the bunker near the Old Station Café on Victoria Avenue, which has received the seal of approval from the whole family.
Pictured: The proposed location for the bench in Paul Channing’s memory, which overlooks St. Aubin’s Bay and Elizabeth Castle. (Google Maps)
The 12-year-old said: “It is a great location because it overlooks St. Aubin’s Bay and Elizabeth Castle. He loved the beach at la Fregate so it’s the perfect spot. I also do the Green Mile Walk with school and I think that, knowing his bench is there, would be as if he is here to help me.”
Her project has received support from the whole family says Deborah – “everyone is very, very proud” – but especially from Lisa Channing, Paul’s widow. She wrote: “My youngest would have loved to know his dad. It’s been heartbreaking for all of my three children, Jessica, Bradley, and Alfie, but we have got through the hard times. To have somewhere we could all go to remember him would be great for us.”
Shannon is hoping to have raised £1,000, £900 for the bench and another £100 for a memorial plaque, by 11 January next year so that the bench can be installed on what would have been her uncle’s 50th birthday. If that doesn’t work out, she is hoping she will have the sufficient funds later in the year, to mark the fifth anniversary of Paul’s accident. Any additional funds will go to a charity of Lisa’s choosing.
While she has already raised close to £200, Shannon has also been sewing cushions to reach her target. An arts & crafts enthusiast, Shannon started making small cushion pouches after receiving a toy sewing machine at Christmas. She then learned how to make bigger cushions at Granville School and decided to sell them to raise more money.
Pictured: Shannon at work on her cushions.
Shannon’s 20cm square cushions are entirely handmade and made to order. People can choose their favourite pattern from a selection of 12 as well as the size. They can also choose to have the print all over or opt for a black or white back.
“She is a very keen sewer,” says Deborah who sells the cushions on Facebook sale pages. Shannon already has a list of orders to go through and plans on completing most of them over the summer, although a week of horse riding and a camping trip for her 13th birthday are also on the cards. Making one cushion takes Shannon about two hours between the measuring, cutting, sewing and the stuffing, which little Megan helps with.
Pictured: Shannon’s sister, Megan, helps out in the making of the cushions by stuffing them.
With most of the sewing being done with a machine Shannon was overjoyed when an Islander kindly donated a full-size one. Deborah explained: “It was incredibly kind. I inquired on a Facebook group about buying one second-hand and this lady just gave her one. It belonged to her daughter who teaches textile arts and has now moved to Australia. She said she would rather have it used than sitting on a shelf.”
The machine should come in handy next year when Shannon enters the Student Business Challenge at Granville School. The Year 8 pupil is hoping to take part so that she can sell more cushions and hopefully raise more money, this time for Headway, a charity who supported her uncle’s family.
Anyone wishing to make a donation or order a cushion can contact Deborah at deborahnorman@yahoo.com
Pictured: Shannon’s cushions are available in various patterns.