THE FAMILY of a man found dead following a three-day search at Dove Stone Reservoir has described him as ‘having the power to bring everyone together.’
Simon Daniels’ body was recovered after an apparent paddleboarding excursion on the water went horribly wrong.
A huge emergency services response, including Coastguard and Mountain Rescue, rushed to the scene near Greenfield on Sunday, October 20.
A woman also believed to have entered the water was rescued by a member of the public who threw in a line.
However, on Wednesday, October 23 after an extensive search, Mr Daniels’ body was found.
And in a statement, his family said: “Simon is our world, he’s funny, unpredictable and has a heart as big as an ocean.
“His larger than life and his crazy personality lit up every room and his love, kindness and inspiration touched so many people who he met.
“Simon was a friend to everyone. Nobody was a stranger in his eyes.
“His passions were fitness and the gym and helping others to become the best version of themselves.
“His heart was pure and he was unapologetically himself. Funny doesn’t cut it. He was hilarious.
“He had this power to bring everyone together. He just wanted everyone to be friends.
“He loved life and even at the darkest of times he still managed to light up the room.
“The community have also shown how much they loved Simon, church bells have rang in his memory along with fireworks.
“We had no idea how popular and inspirational he was in our local community.”
Greater Manchester Police say a report is now being prepared for the coroner and praised the public’s attitude during the search.
The force said: “We appreciate the public’s support in enabling our search teams to carry out their work.
“We understand the inconvenience this may have caused over the last few days at Dove Stone Reservoir, but it was important we conducted a full and thorough search for Simon.”