THE son of a hairdresser who worked in Penarth for over fifty years has paid tribute to a ‘family man’ who died of the coronavirus after returning from a cruise ship in South America.

Colin Newman, of the Marc Jordan hairdressers on Albert Road, flew with friends to Brazil in February.

His cruise ship was supposed to dock in Chile but was diverted to California.

The 76 year old returned to the UK in March when he fell ill and was admitted to the University Hospital of Wales.

Colin was placed on oxygen at the hospital where his condition gradually deteriorated and he passed away in April.

“He couldn’t hear us because of the oxygen noise so we couldn’t ring him”, said his son Paul Newman.

“So we sent him Whatsapp messages and videos telling him to get well soon and he was replying.

“These messages stopped for me at 6 o’clock on the Friday and he passed away on Saturday”.

Paul had not seen Colin since February 24 when he left the country to go on the cruise.

He described the period which followed his father’s death.

“The first four or five days were rough. I wasn’t taking calls off anyone. I didn’t want to speak to anyone.

“The hardest for me was to sit my boy down and tell him. That was tough. I hadn’t seen him (Colin) since 24th February”.

Colin began working at a salon in Windsor Terrace at the age of 23, before moving to Marc Jordan’s current location on the corner of Albert Road and Plassey Street.

In 2017, the hairdresser and father of two celebrated his fiftieth year of trading in Penarth.

“He’s more than just a hairdresser to us”, said Paul.

“To us he was a family man and a bampa to my son Rhys who’s eight.

“In the shop there was pictures of myself and my brother.

“They’ve actually been thrown out because my boy took over, so there was just pictures of him in his school uniform.

“If the shop eventually opens, they want to keep a picture of Rhys there as a symbol.”

Paul and his brother Kerry Newman remember working with their father as teenagers.

“Me and my brother at the ages of 11 or 12 used to work a Saturday in the shop brushing hair to get pocket money”, said Paul.

“There’s pictures of my brother with his arms folded looking like the unhappiest boy in the world.

“But he (Colin) taught us the value of having to work for your money”.

Colin was always supportive of his two sons who completed the Iron Man Wales and Cardiff Half Marathon together.

“During the latter years as a teenager he supported us.

“I was a rugby man. My brother was football and cricket. Lately we did Iron Man Wales together.

“He (Colin) was there at the crack of dawn on the beaches. He’d have to be first there.

“There is a picture of Cardiff Bay before the Cardiff Half Marathon.

“There is no one else there except my dad who was waiting for me and my brother who were going to be another three hours.

“He had a spot on Lloyd George Avenue.

“If the Cardiff Half goes ahead this year we will definitely stop to place some flowers on there”.

Paul said his father “lived and laughed life to the full”.

Colin’s funeral will take place this week with a limit of 10 attendees.

“For his funeral we’ve collected rainbow coloured handprints from friends in the street and Rhys’ school class”, Paul explained.

“We should have about 100 hands coloured in different rainbow styles.

“We’re going to make them into a heart and frame them with names of everyone who’s given us one.

“My boy wants to put it by the dinning room table where Bampa used to sit”.

The family have set up a fundraiser in Colin’s name to raise money for the Marie Curie hospice charity.

To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kerry-newman6