Where to start? Ben was a guy who I got to know at Uni, remained a good friend in the years since and I can’t believe he’s gone.
Things I’ll remember from times with Ben?

1) Travelling to far flung places, embracing the locals: sleeping in a hospital chair in Northern Pakistan on one trip after Ben got (very) poorly and had to helped out with some mountaineers and then later by London School of Tropical Medicine when we eventually got back to the UK
2) Travelling to Europe on ski-trips. I loved the one wher Ben ran a bar in his chalet where he was allowed to keep the profits. We of course decided to come and stay at his place - and had to smuggle Red Bull in from the UK as it wasn’t available locally in France. It’d be fair to say Ben wasn’t the fastest bar-man in the West
3) Gigging - we did a few: Oasis at Knebworth, a V festival or two & the last photo here was at a local festival here in Somerset where were rocking out to Feeder. I don’t remember if we Glastonburied together - but don’t remember everything about those trips…
4) HIs sense of childish fun. He was Godfather to my son, and reverted to being a big one whenever we met. As a result my kids (inevitably) loved him to bits. They’ll be devastated when they learn what happened - but that’s a conversation for a long time in the future
5) Failed attempts to get him hooked up with my single female mates (no photos survive)

More than anything else, just a genial giant who never seemed to change, put other people first and loved his friends. This is a short extract of what could be so many more memories - of rugby days & trips, parties at that flat off the Brompton Road, dinner parties, cottages away, firework bashes etc.

A bit like Peter Pan, he didn’t age at the same rate as the rest of us, and now in our memories he won’t age at all. RIP Ben, you were one of a kind - and our lives are the poorer without him