Tributes to antiques dealer who went missing during Christmas Day swim while trying to help woman
An antiques dealer is feared to have disappeared after diving into the sea to help a woman in distress during a Christmas swim in Devon. Matthew Upham, 63, has not been seen since the incident in Budleigh Salterton, where a major rescue operation was launched on Christmas morning.
Friends reported that Mr. Upham had gone into the stormy waters to help a struggling woman. A number of people were successfully rescued and checked by paramedics or taken to hospital as a precaution, but the names of two men, aged in their 40s and 60s, remain unknown, according to Devon and Cornwall Police.
Local tailor Gail Williams paid tribute to Mr Upham on Monday, saying he was a “valued and respected member of the Budleigh Salterton community”.
“My dear friend put others before himself on Christmas Day, seeing a woman in distress, Matthew, in his true form, went to help along with the other unnamed man,” Ms Williams said in a statement.
“They went into the water to save them and unfortunately they paid the price for it in the place he loved so much.
“What they experience at sea is unimaginable.”
Ms Williams added that Mr Upham, whom she first met seven years ago when she brought her mother to his shop in Budleigh Salterton to have her clothes altered, was an “accomplished sea swimmer” who spent “swimming for hours most days”.
“His loss has touched so many people, and I know we are all struggling to come to terms with this tragic loss,” he said.
“He leaves behind his lovely family and loving friends, we will miss and love him forever.
“I was heartbroken when I heard the tragic news on Christmas Day and life will never be the same for me without my dear friend.”
Singer Kate Bush, who was also a friend of Mr. Upham, paid tribute to him in a post on her website on Sunday.
“Matthew was one of my closest friends. I knew him for 30 years,” said Running Up That Hill singer Bush, 67.
“He was one of those people who touched everyone he met.
“He was extraordinarily kind, thoughtful and lived life to the fullest.
“He was also a very funny person.
“His family is heartbroken and so am I, along with many of his friends.
“Matthew was a very strong swimmer. He loved canoeing. He understood that the sea had to be respected.”
Mr Upham ran the appointment-only Matthew Upham Antiques on the town’s High Street, which offered a “stunning range of chandeliers from various parts of Europe”, according to its website.
The business traded in London for four decades before moving to the seaside town.
In a Facebook post shared on Christmas Day afternoon, East Devon District Council urged locals to “think twice before taking the risk this festive season”.
The local authority said cold water shock, strong currents and unpredictable weather conditions could turn a “rapid fall into a serious emergency”.
The Coast Guard said the search was called off at 5pm on Christmas Day after “extensive shoreline and offshore searches”.
Devon and Cornwall Police previously said the men’s families had been kept informed of developments.
On Boxing Day, a police spokesman said “both men remain missing” and “enquiries are ongoing” following the incident.
A number of Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall have been canceled this year due to a yellow weather warning covering parts of the South West and Wales.
