He was a legend at his golf club, with fellow members saying he had an “aura” about him.
But Paul Blake was even more adept at wielding a pair of scissors than a seven-iron during his remarkable 62-year career as an award-winning hairstylist.
Hair stylist Paul Blake in his salon in Canterbury, marking 50 years in the trade in 2011. He started working as an apprentice aged 15, eventually retiring aged 77
His death at the age of 80 has been met with sadness, not only by the golfing fraternity but also among the hundreds of clients he served at his salon in Canterbury.
Paul joined both Canterbury Golf Club and started his hairdressing apprenticeship at the age of just 15.
A perfectionist for whom customer satisfaction was his driving motivation, Paul opened Blakes Hair and Beauty in Dover Street, Canterbury, in 1980 following a short spell in business in Tankerton.
He was still cutting hair at the age of 77, making him likely Kent’s longest-serving hairstylist.
But it was then that he stepped away from his chair and sold the business on to one of his proteges, Michael Garrett.
Paul Blake in his salon in Canterbury in the 1980s
“He was a pioneer of hairdressing in Canterbury who was a great mentor and had a huge impact on my career,” he said.
Paul had been married to his wife Jenny for 58 years when he was taken ill suddenly and died at Kent and Canterbury Hospital on Friday, June 26, with his family at his bedside.
He also leaves his two sons Stuart and Gavin, four grandchildren, Robert, Michael, Gary and Jamie and two great-grandchildren, Jax and Blue.
One of Paul’s most satisfying achievements was starting a charity called Acorn, which raised funds to build a special home in Sussex Avenue for severely disabled adults who need around-the-clock care.
It was motivated by the situation of his oldest son Gavin, who has cerebral palsy and his understanding of the lack of provision for those families in similar situations.
Paul Blake was a keen golfer
The charity was founded in the early 1980s and its work would go on to earn Paul an MBE.
A lot of its fundraising came through Canterbury Golf Club, where Paul would arrange tournaments and whose members were “incredibly supportive” of the cause.
Writing on its members’ page, club president Stephen Bowles said he was very saddened to learn of Paul’s death and the club sent its condolences to his family.
“Paul was Canterbury Golf Club through and through and invested a great deal of time in supporting it as captain and then president,” he said.
“His greatest legacy was probably the planting of more than a thousand trees around the course, which made it one of Kent’s finest parkland courses.
“If you hit a tree with a golf ball, he would say: ‘I planted that’ with a little smile on his face.
Paul Blake was a stalwart of Canterbury Golf Club
“He raised huge amounts of money on his Acorn golf charity days which were very popular with members.
“He was a good friend who was always free with his advice as to the best way forward for the club and will be missed.”
Club Captain Nigel Fluet said: “I don’t think there is a single person who supported the club as much as he did.
“Every prize-giving Sunday he was there with his family and the club and course were everything to him.
“When he talked about certain parts of the course, there was always a glint in his eye when he spoke about how things used to look.
“People sit in the clubhouse debating about what used to be here and what used to be there, and we’d say: ‘Paul will know’ and he did.
Paul and Jenny Blake receiving his MBE for charity work in 1997
“He was all about the club and when he came in, he had that aura about him.”
Chairman Peter Cheney said Paul’s passing was especially sad because he had been very much looking forward to celebrating its centenary next year.
A devoted family man, Paul has been described by his son Stuart as “a very proud, classic gentleman” who had a very strong character and was “a born leader”.
“His family was the most important thing in the world to him, closely followed by Canterbury Golf Club, which he joined when he was 15,” he said.
“He was captain in 1983 and president and chairman from 2011 to 2014, as well as a committee member for many years, donating the Blake Cup for a seven-club knockout competition.”
No date has yet been set for his funeral.