I am absolutely devastated to learn of the passing of my dear friend Craig. I first met Craig in 1990 at the University College Salford. We were on the same course and immediately struck up a great friendship. We shared a student house and Craig would convince me on a daily basis that the house was haunted. He would just laugh, but I was genuinely scared! Within months of being in Salford Craig developed Diabetes. Did it stop him? Not a chance! We would go to the gym most days and get into scrapes with the local hoodlums on our way home. Salford was very rough back in those days. We did attend the odd lecture or two in between. I think we missed 11 consecutive Thursday morning lectures. That may still be some kind of record. I would have probably dropped off the course without Craig. We convinced each other to see it through. That was Craig; loyal, trustworthy, supportive and sometimes crazy (in a good way). Looking back, those were days to be treasured. After graduating we kept in touch for a number of years before life and both of us seeking our purpose led to us losing contact. Craig would cross my mind often and I would always wonder what he was up to? I knew mischief would follow him wherever he was. The advent of Social media brought us back in touch about 12 years ago. My face lit up with joy. when out of the blue I got a 'friend request' from the infamous Mr. Davies. Welcome back my friend. We kept in constant contact from that day forward and shared many of life's ups and downs along the way. He would always keep an upbeat attitude and sense of humour no matter what life threw at him. Of all my fond memories of Craig, echoing other tributes I have read here, was his absolute devotion and love for his family. He enthused about his beautiful wife Ioana , Bryny and Gwyny. He would regularly send me short video clips and pics of them getting up to fun and mischief. He sent me one video where he was singing his own version of 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf'. Craig and Bryny were actually in the Irish Sea. It must have been freezing cold, but they were laughing hysterically as he sang at the top of his voice 'Who's afraid of the Irish Sea, the Irish sea'. priceless. I couldn't pay tribute to Craig without a mention of Vlad. He was Craig's perfect partner in crime. From what I've learned Vlad had a penchant for other peoples sandwiches. Craig would relay some great stories about how Vlad had nearly got him into yet another fight whilst on their daily escapades. They were 'as thick as thieves' and defended each other whatever the circumstances. He promised Vlad would have a warm welcoming awaiting me when I visited, but a cheeky glint in his eye when he told me made me think otherwise' It's very difficult to put into words the loss that I feel in Craig's tragic and untimely passing. Mostly, I think I just miss my old mate. We talked about everything . We talked football, family, boxing. family, and then family some more. That was his life; Family. Craig, our paths will cross again my dear friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you Ioana, The Boys and all of Craig's wonderful family.

Craig, you were so lovely to work with. You always knew how to cheer me up when I was having a bad day and helped me to put things into perspective when I didn't know what to do. The pride that you had for your family was amazing and I always enjoyed hearing how Vlad was causing chaos or what mischievous antics Brynmor was getting up to. Thank you for being one of the best colleagues and our little team will not be the same without you.

Craig, you were a delight to work with. Always there to run stuff by, to gripe with, discuss your health (sciatica led to more frequent walks around the College) and to find workable solutions to the next change on LS3, then 111. With your heart on your sleeve, your family and Vlad were always forefront in everything you did - always a picture at the end of your presentations. Your pride and love for your boys shone through. I will miss you. You were more than a colleague and the world shines less without you.