‘An utter diamond’: Friends and former clients honour beloved Blackpool estate agent Harry Sutcliffe

Family, friends, and former clients of well-known Blackpool estate agent and auctioneer Harry Sutcliffe, who died on June 6th at the age of 82, have paid tribute to ‘an utter diamond’ of a man.

After living with the impacts of Parkinson’s for the past two years of his life, Harry died peacefully at home on June 6th. He is survived by his wife Christine Sutcliffe, children Darren and Lisa, step-daughter Julie, grandson Wyatt, and great-granddaughter Katherine.

Born and bred in Blackpool, Harry was a prolific sportsman as a youngster, gaining a reputation as a stellar amateur footballer alongside his brother David and even attending trials with Aston Villa in the 1950s. In the late 1960s, he started his career as an estate agent, working with Oystons and quickly rising through the ranks.

“We want to say to you what an inspiration you both were when we started our married life back in 1995,” said one former client in a message to Harry’s wife Christine. “Harry particularly was so supportive when we moved to our current family home. We hold you both in such high esteem and no words can describe the sadness of your loss and emptiness you must feel.

“Life moves on and be grateful for knowing such a wonderful lovely person who I always looked up to and respected,” the comment continued. “These are not words of condolences and come from the Heart. Without Harry and his advice I would not be in the position I enjoy and appreciate today. He was an utter diamond and a rare find today.”

Eventually, Harry moved into training, tutoring countless other budding estate agents at Oystons during a 22-year stint in management during which he earned a reputation for kindness and an unflinching willingness to help anyone, regardless of whether they were competitors or not. He also met Christine whilst working at Oystons.

Harry left Oystons to set up his own estate agency and auctioneering business, Harry Sutcliffe Limited, in 1992 alongside his eventual-wife and business partner Christine and retired in 2007 after more than four decades in the industry and having valued at least 20,000 properties by his own estimations.

“He loved meeting people through work, hearing their stories, and the dynamics of estate agency, so he loved his job,” said Christine. “He’d go out at 10 at night if somebody had a problem. But he hated when he had to do a repossession and someone was still there because he didn’t want to take someone’s home off them.

“At this house in Central Drive, there was a young woman with two children and he just said ‘if you think I’m turning a woman with two babies under five out onto the street, you’ve got another thing coming,’” Christine added. “So the bailiff gave her another two weeks. When he returned, she was still there, so he personally took her to a charity which looked after women and children.”

Harry Sutcliffe’s funeral is to be held at Carleton Crematorium on Thursday 22nd June at 10.00 am. No flowers by request, please send any donations to the British Heart Foundation or Parkinson’s UK.