Crystal Peaks Sheffield: Singing and dancing market stallholder with 'heart of gold' dies after cancer battle
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Paul ‘Porky’ Galley worked as a butcher for many years, first at Sheffield’s old Castle Market and then at The Market Place in Crystal Peaks, where in recent years he ran his own greengrocer business called Elliotts Fruit and Veg. The father-of-three, who had two grandchildren, sadly lost his battle with lung cancer on Wednesday, October 19, aged 62.
Pete Morley, who runs Morley’s Meats at Crystal Peaks, where Paul used to work, said: “He had a heart of gold and was so well-liked. Everyone’s devastated that he’s gone. He was a proper character. You don't get many characters like him, and he will be missed.”
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Pete told how Paul was a gifted singer and dancer who loved putting on a show to cheer up shoppers. He once auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent, he said, and had made it through several rounds but just missed out on appearing on the televised stages. A clip of Paul singing and dancing was viewed many thousands of times after being shared on YouTube, he added, and Paul became known as Porky the Dancing and Singing Butcher. Paul could also make anyone laugh, said Pete, and was ‘amazing at one-liners’.
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Paul, who grew up on the Manor estate before moving to Heeley and later Aston, was a Sheffield Wednesday fan. One of his childhood friends was the Owls and England right back Mel Sterland, who was a regular visitor at the hospice where Paul spent his last days.
Bosses at The Market Place at Crystal Peak paid tribute to Paul, describing him as a ‘hard-working, well-loved character’ who they said ‘will be sadly missed’. People have also taken to social media to pay their respects, with one person writing that ‘the market wont be the same without him’, another calling him ‘such a lovely bloke with a heart of gold’ and others recalling how he always found time to talk to people and had a great sense of humour. One person summed up the mood, writing: “I can’t remember a time I’ve gone into the market and Porky hasn’t been there to say hello. His presence will be greatly missed.”