Having carried out various building works and repairs to the family home over many years I have been fortunate to get to know Simon and Margaret. I very soon realised how devoted they are to both their family and their work.

Over more recent times Simon became not just a client but a friend whom I held in high regard. I am going to miss the cheeky banter I had with him.  I remember that I once asked how he carried out his operations and his reply was “with a hammer and chisel”. Well, judging from the attempts he made on several occasions to carry out DIY repairs, I assume he was more adept with his surgical tools than he was with those from his “man shed”. Some of those results were amazing!!

 I was once called out to a toilet which wasn’t, quote, “working properly”. On inspection I found inside the cistern an array of household objects, including nuts bolts and spoons etc. held together with masses of tape. It was a real Heath Robinson affair.  When I questioned Simon about who had been fiddling with it he presented with a sheepish grin and a shrug of the shoulders. All he had needed to do to stop the leak was turn off the valve under the cistern, but, as the saying goes “each to his own”. 

Simon was a leader in his field and was willing to share his expertise with the wider world. However, at home, when it came to creative decisions whether it be about the decor and fittings in the newly renovated bathroom or landscaping the garden I always made sure that he had the permission of “the boss”…..Margaret of course!

Simon, the brilliant surgeon and highly educated man never judged this rough, uneducated plumber with a broad northern accent and I really appreciated that. He was a kind, thoughtful, caring man with a lovely family. He was a pleasure to work for and I will miss him greatly.