Speeches / Recording from Tim's funeral - 28th May 2004

"The first thing I'd like to say is on behalf of myself and my family I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming today. At such a difficult time in our lives the love and support of so many people have given us, and will continue to give us, the strength we need to carry on with our lives without Tim.

Tim was somebody who most of you knew in his later years in life, but not as a child. Growing up with Tim as an older brother, you won’t be surprised to hear that his love for life, and his love for mischief, was as strong when he was 10 years old as it was when he was 30 years old.

As the oldest of our group of friends he often led us into spots of bother but would soon use his incredible charm to pull us back out again…as I'm sure many of the ladies here will agree, Tim could have charmed for England. The twinkle in his eye and the cheeky grin when he was out having fun is something we should always remember as a lasting testament to his warm personality and his concern for others above himself.

As Tim's brother I saw a person who lived life the way he wanted to live it, and nobody, not his parents, his peers or his friends could sway him from his convictions. Where most of us would worry about what life throws at us, Tim lived his life on his own terms and no one can doubt he lived more in his 34 years than most of us do in a lifetime.

As we reluctantly move on with our lives without Tim, we should remember how he lived his life and how he would want us to continue with ours in his absence. For myself, when I’m down and upset, I know he's there alongside me, his endless energy pushing me on, and I know what he would say if he caught me crying over his loss…"be right mate".

We owe it to Tim to remember him not with sorrow and sadness but with the happiness and joy that he used to touch so many peoples' lives - as you can see by the amount of people who are here today. He’ll live with me for the rest of my life as I’m sure he will in everyone else he touched during his time with us.

Thanks for the memories mate, we'll always love you and we'll never forget you.

I love you bruv"