Hundreds of islanders have been paying their respects to Arthur Falle, the founder of Regent Gymnastics Club, who passed away on Tuesday (7 January) after a short illness.

Known affectionately as 'Mr Gymnastics', the local legend taught thousands of of aspiring Jersey gymnasts throughout his decades as a coach. 

Arthur established Regent Gymnastics Club in 1981, where he taught young athletes, many who went on to compete in the Islands Games and then go onto county, regional and even national levels. 

The great grandfather's passion for the sport has been passed down to his family, with his daughters Julia Falle and Mel Le Boutiller following in their father's footsteps and coaching at Regent Gymnastics Club and setting up Little Monkeys Gymnastics.

A social media post from Regent Gymnastics reads: 

'It is with heavy hearts that we share the extremely sad news that our beloved Mr Falle, founder of Regent Gymnastics, passed away yesterday after a short illness

'His family were by his side.

'Arthur (AKA Mr Falle, Mr Gymnastics, Dad, Grandad and Great Grandad) was known and loved by many and whilst we share our grief with everyone that knew him, we also share cherished memories of his amazing life.

'To paraphrase a tribute paid to a once famous person,

'If you want to see his legacy, look around.

'In Mr Falle’s case, Regent Gymnastics Club at Fort Regent.

'So take great comfort and pride during these sad times from the knowledge that Mr Falle lived long enough to see the wonderful Olympic gymnastics equipment his dream helped to create.'

Channel 103 met Arthur Falle in November 2024 when the club received a donation of gymnastics equipment from the Paris Olympics 2024. 

Mr Falle was ecstatic to see the beams and bars installed at Fort Regent, of which daughter Mel Le Boutiller said "without him none of it would have been possible."

It was at this meeting Arthur told us his vision for the future off island gymnastics:

"I'm just hoping that maybe at some point, its going to take a few years because gymnastics is a slow sport, you don't just compete at Commonwealth or Olympics without the training.

"It could be a in a few years time, maybe 10 - 15 years time, but we could soon see gymnasts emerging into that level."

Arthur Falle with the Paris 2024 gymnastics equipment

Hundreds of comments have flooded in on social media, paying tribute to the Arthur Falle and thanking him for touching the lives of many:

"Mr. Falle was such an amazing person. With his smile, personality, encouragement and big hugs you could not help being happy in his company. He will be greatly missed."

"Arthur Falle was one of a kind, he will be very missed by us all, I have so many memories to treasure, always a kind word and a hug when I walked in the gym or bumped into him in the shop, he taught me so much as a coach, always so patient explaining things, he will always have a special place in my heart.. My thoughts and prayers are with you Julia Falle, your sisters and all the family. RIP Arthur aka Mr Gymnastics. xx"

"The loss of the most amazing man. So grateful to have had him as such a strong figure in my life growing up at the gym club. He will be missed by so many, a true legend."

 "Such sad news! Mr Falle was such an inspiration to many and I am forever grateful for all the experiences and support I have received from him. Mr Falle made such a large impact on the Jersey Gymnastics community. Will forever cherish all the memories."