Tributes to former Fleetwood fisherman Bill Wade

Bill, who died on December 28 at the age of 75, helped bring current and ex-fishermen together from across the world, from as far afield as Australia and Canada, through the annual reunions in the town.

And the get-togethers also raised vital funds for the RNLI, the National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen and Fleetwood's Goth Funnel Memorial Fund.

Bill's funeral is to be held at the town's Trinity Baptist Church, on Dronsfield Road, at 11am on Monday January 18.

Tony Cowell, coxswain with Fleetwood RNLI and skipper of the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry, has known Bill since he was was a youngster.

Tony, 64, said: "When I was nine my dad was skipper of a trawler called The Plough and I would go out on a few pleasure trips with my dad, my uncle Gary and Bill.

"Bill was around ten years older than me and we'd always been close ever since - my father married his sister so we were like family.

"Those reunions gave some of the older trawler lads a chance to have a chat about old times.

"Some of them would fly over just for that, it was amazing what Bill and the other organisers achieved, he was a top lad."

And the reunions, which Bill coordinated with Leon O'Flaherty and Carole Newsham, are still going - it is hoped the next one will take place later this year.

When the Fleetwood RNLI crews heard of his passing, they flew the flag at half mast.

Bill, who was sometimes known as Billy, was born into a large family in Fleetwood and started fishing from when he was a young boy.

After the fishing industry in Fleetwood collapsed in the late 1970s after the final Cod War with Iceland, Bill was prepared to travel but he came back to Fleetwood and worked in the inshore fishing fleets.

He sailed from many ports including Hull, Grimsby, Lowestoft, Aberdeen, Iceland, Peterhead, Pittenwean and St Andrews and worked with a string of top skippers in

Scotland.

Over the years he was well known in the fishing community having sailed on numerous trawlers large and small, including Idena, Renown, Margaret Wicks, Harvest Morn, The Plough, the

Resolute, the Sharwendon, the Constant Hope, the Deejay, the Helen Mona, the Arganaut and he even skippered for a short time on the North Thards.

He also managed to fulfil his dream of going into partnership for a short time to own half of his own boat, the Gien Mie.

Bill also worked for short time on standby boats for oil rigs and even a scientist survey boat and proudly displayed a certificate for sailing in the Antarctic.

After retiring from fishing he stayed busy, working at Rossall then volunteering with other ex-fishermen to work on the heritage trawler Jacinta with the Jacinta Trust and spent many years sailing the vessels to different ports for maritime festivals.

Bill's late siblings were John, Billy, Joan, Thomas, Emily, Fred, Jimmy and he leaves two surviving sisters Betty and Mona.

He married Cath for a short while when he was 21 and had two daughters, Tracey and Julie.

Then he met Jean in Fife in Scotland and married her when he was 27 and they went on to have three more children, Jason, Paula and Paul.

He was married to Jean for 37 years before her death in 2009.

He also leaves behind many friends .