Tributes to Shropshire's Paul who had a heart of gold

Hastily organised on a recent sunny evening, the 80-strong group cycled from their home town of Newport to Telford's Severn Hospice, in a show of fondness and support for club mate and founding member Paul Grubert.

Too poorly to take visitors except for close family, they gathered outside Paul's window, all wearing Nova Raiders' team colours of which Paul was so proud.

It was a gesture which meant a huge amount to Paul's wife Pat and daughters Sheena and Lisa.

Pat said: "Paul was too unwell to see them, but he opened his eyes and knew they were there. It meant a lot to him. It was amazing really, I don't think the staff had seen anything like it before."

Paul died early the next morning.

Yet just a few weeks ago Paul was out running, cycling, working out at the gym – doing all the things he loved; his family and friends are now left with a stark reminder that life can turn on a sixpence.

Tributes continue to pour in for Paul, affectionately known as "Gruby"; adventurer, athlete, action man, relentless charity fundraiser, inspiration to many and, of course, devoted husband and father.

Friends extol his zest for life and unstoppable energy; a life lived to the full, each day filled with infectious laughter. His retirement in 2004 from his job as advertising manager on the Newport Advertiser was an opportunity for Paul to step up the pace and take on more physical challenges.

Pat smiles and says she learned to live with Paul's boundless sense of adventure.

"He was still in the scouts when we met in 1964," she says. "He was a Queen's Scout, which is the highest honour. At weekends he loved to go climbing in Wales. He took me camping too – in the snow."

Earlier that year Paul had quit his job at Goodyear's in his home town of Wolverhampton to embark on what he called "a walking tour of Australia" with work pal Mike Tompson, taking with them a reference from their boss so they could get work along the way.

The plan at first was to hitch-hike around the world but when they got to Germany, they decided to buy a car. But calamity struck when, on the Turkish border, they overtook at Greek army tank, hit a pot hole and crashed. The pair were taken to hospital where doctors told Paul the accident very nearly severed his spine. Mike had a broken collar bone, and both had to return home.

Pat said: "He's always been an adventurer, and had a lot of exciting times. I'm very proud of his achievements. For his 65th birthday he cycled on his own from Paris to Athens. He had a great time, making friends along the way but also getting into a few scrapes. He'd be in touch every day just to let me know he was okay."

Paul covered 1,800 miles in four weeks, travelling through six countries.

His first big race challenge was the London Marathon to mark his 50th birthday. He injured his back days before, recalls Pat, but was determined to finish.

Then, in 2003, he decided to raise the bar and cycled 400 miles from Auckland to Queenstown in New Zealand in 10 days – before representing Britain at the ITU Triathlon World Championships.

He has joined Newport's Pyrenean Raid cycling team a number of times, cycling 450 miles over Europe's highest mountain range, helping to raise tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

Since retiring, he competed in several Perton Tough Guy challenges.

And almost exactly a year ago to the day he died, Paul joined Nova Raiders to cycle to Snowdon, climb to the summit, and then cycle back – to raise money for the RBL Poppy Appeal. He was planning to take part in the event again this year before he became ill just a few weeks ago.

"We went on holiday at the end of May. Paul felt unwell but put it down to a virus. He got worse and was admitted to hospital when we got home. It's still hard to believe what's happened," said Pat.

"He was a keep fit fanatic and would think nothing of doing three gym classes followed by a swim – then he'd run up The Wrekin."

A member of Newport Running Club and Nuffield gym in Telford, he inspired countless friends to achieve new sporting goals.

Chairman of Nova Raiders Ken Broad said: "Some 10 years ago he started coming out on a mid-week ride for retirees. Clearly he didn't like my title of The Wednesday Wrinklies, preferring to describe us as The Crinklies, possibly out of deference to his many younger protégées whom he brought along from time to time. Paul's characteristic laughter enlivened our outings to such an extent that we began to think the harder the going got, the funnier Paul found it!"

Ex colleagues at Shropshire Newspapers have also paid tribute to Paul, who was born in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton. Former Newport Advertiser editor Sam Taylor said: "It was such a pleasure to work with Paul for more than 20 years – his sense of humour and crazy keep fit. But he was also a proper professional who knew Newport inside out and was liked and respected by everyone."

Paul travelled far and wide, but he also loved home; his downtime was spent tending his garden in Newport; his favourite flowers were roses.

Pat has recently planted a new addition - a larger than life, vibrant red rose simply named Thinking of You.

Paul collected many sporting medals over the years but a very special trophy stood among the dozens of cards in his hospice room.

It was the last accolade he ever received, given to him by a close friend after he was admitted to hospital. Inscribed on the silver cup was a simple message: Paul Grubert, Truly the Greatest.

And to many, that's exactly what he was.