Neil Davenport

So much heartbreak and sadness at losing you so suddenly my dear brother. These are just some of the things I have been thinking about and will always take with me no matter what, your impish grin, the pranks, uncontrollable laughter, shared crazy ideas (ohhhhhh yeh!), games of rounders on “the block” having to take a break to watch and wait for other kids to eat their ice creams when the van came round and just accepting our lot making the best of it, sneaking food up to me when I was in the dog house and banished upstairs with no tea, many good times spent down the Burrs, building a dam in the stream leading to the River Irwell to make a swimming pool and the waterways department telling us in no uncertain words that we had to demolish it, playing together in the most imaginative, resourceful, way that poor kids do, all your brilliant impersonations of characters we knew which were hysterical, the feeling that I was leaving you when I got married and moved a little distance away, but then followed by all your happy visits to our house, the letters which always made me chuckle when we moved a lot further away down South, yours and Howards 70’s disco dancing with my kids at parties which made their bellies ache with laughter and never fails to get a mention all these years on, words of encouragement at the most challenging time of my life, the fabulous Jimi Hendrix tribute night, and last but not least the immense pride you always had in your own lovely family, I know you will be keeping a safe watch over them all. Tomorrow will be so hard for all of us as it will be our physical goodbye but these are some of the wonderful, happy memories and there are many, many more that neither time nor circumstance can erase, we will not forget you, sleep in peace my darling little brother, love always, big sis Gail, Mike, Hayley, Nick, Mel, Olly & Freya.

What a fab funny guy Neil was, we had some brilliant funny times in the Lamb and the Royal, me, our Dave, our Paul, glen, big Paul, Stuart, mark,rob and others used to all meet up at the weekends and we’d have great times, watching bands etc at walshaw sports club and Neil would have us rolling over with his one liners!! He absolutely doted on his wife Jackie and you could tell that when they were together and the way he talked about her. My condolences to all his family who will miss him dearly. He was a great, genuine, funny guy and I am honoured to have known him. R.I.P. Neil.

What a great bloke Neil was. Proud to have known him and have some great memories of him too. Deepest condolences go out to the family who he adored so much.

My thoughts and prayers are with Neil’s family at this very sad time, I went to seedy with Neil, and I have some really special memories of him from that time onwards, fly high with the angels Neil,