We shall miss our regular lunch visits with Cyril to ‘The Steps’ for his half of bitter, chicken tikka and crumble. Always looking dapper, he would greet us with a big smile on his face. His generosity extended to providing Derek with a smart,white evening jacket for our celebratory cruise on Queen Mary. Cyril knew all about cruising! He and Joyce have been a role model for us to follow in the various stages of ageing and retirement. We shall miss this gentle,easygoing, kind friend. Derek and Sylvia

‘Uncle Cyril’, as he was to me, is one of those special people who have known me since before I even knew myself. As a child, I just recall the feelings he inspired: wonder, warmth, love and magic. As a got older, I realised he was a kind, joyful and fascinating man with a gadget for every occasion, always hidden away in his shed tinkering with something, but always keen to stop, share, inspire. When we moved abroad, Cyril represented home: he was there at the airport when we arrived back in the UK each summer and the time we spent at Fromer Road with him and Joyce were always happy days, topping us up with the familiar warmth that we missed when away. In later years, I treasured the afternoons I spent curled up on the sofa in Fromer Road, drinking tea and listening to stories – finally learning more about the life lived by this man who’d known me so long. He was an extraordinary individual and I will forever be grateful to have had him in my life, to have been able to make him smile and share a few moments in his long and remarkable existence. He will be missed but treasured; a very special man.

There are so many wonderful memories I have of Cyril from over the years, which are very much intermingled with those of Joyce too. When living next door at Fromer Road when I was little I remember having my birthday party at their house one year and also going back and forth to collect balls my sister Sarah and I had knocked over into their garden! Their house was always a place of warmth, kindness and love for me as a small child. It was also wonderful having Joyce and Cyril visit us when we lived in Malaysia. They watched me compete in a swimming competition and it was so nice seeing their smiling faces in the crowd cheering me on. When we spent summer holidays in the UK whilst living in Malaysia, Cyril would always pick us up from the airport and drop us back at the end of the trip. He was the first and last person we would see on our visits :) Truly a lifelong friend, who felt much more like a member of the family. I will always cherish the memories myself and the rest of our family were privileged to share with Cyril and there are so many happy ones. How glad I am that my parents decided to move into the house next door to Joyce and Cyril all those years ago. We loved him very much and will miss him dearly. Emma and Andy Hart xxx