It took a while for me to get past his hard exterior and meet the real Gavin, but then I could see he was a genuine guy who would go to bat for anyone. He always called things as he saw it and you always knew exactly where you stood with him and that was one of many things I really admired about him.

Sitting near him in Leeds was a source of good fun, whether it was him sharing a story from his family life, his loud phone conversations or just his incredibly loud sneezes that ensured the entire floor knew he was there it was always a good laugh, especially when you tell him that you and the rest of the floor heard that conversation with Zara when she was seeing her boyfriend instead of searching for the missing cat, explaining that he wasn’t quite as quiet as he thought and then off he went around the floor sharing the story of the missing cat.

Gavin was a giant, a true gentleman. He is sorely missed.

Rest in peace.