One of Burnham’s favourite sons has died at the age of 94. Arthur Gilbert MBE was a well-known member of the town’s athletic and swimming community as well as being known as the world's oldest triathlete.
Born in Portsmouth in 1921 before the General Strike, Mr Gilbert saw service in the Second World War before moving to Somerset to work at Westland Helicopters cycling to work on a round trip of 20 miles.
He always kept fit with running, swimming and cycling and was a member of Burnham Harriers running group and was presented with his MBE in 2008 for his charity fundraising for the Musgrove Leukaemic Group Somerset.
Gilbert became Britain's oldest triathlete aged 90, when he completed the Burnham-on-Sea Triathlon in 2011 and the following year was an Olympic torchbearer running a stretch in Minehead.
His wife and son died in 2009. He said living a stress free life and eating fruit kept him healthy and fit. He also gave 49 pints of blood over the years and was clearly a remarkable man and a loss to the town.
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