Read at Andy's Memorial Service. BUNNA Andy (or Bunna as he was fondly called) has lived an amazing life even though it was sadly short, but looking at the people here today I hope it brings some comfort to his family to know how many lives Andy touched. I would like to thank everyone for being here today to pay your respects to a truly remarkable person. While it’s an honour to be standing here today it is not an easy thing to do. Andy knew how hard it was to stand up in front of people when he did me the honour of being my best man. Everyone who was at the wedding will remember how nervous Andy was about his ‘best man’ speech. When he did stand up he said that he was so nervous that ‘his arse was twitching like a rabbit’s nose’. Well mate I’m standing here today for you and you’ve got your own back because my arse it twitching like a rabbits nose. I know that many of you have your own special memories of Andy and many of you have shared these memories on the web in memory of him, for that I thank you , I know it has been a comfort to his family and friends. I moved to Harworth when I was 18 and that’s when I met Andy and we became best friends. While our friendship was amazing he shared his friendship with so many other people such as David ('H'), Mike, Platty, Damien, and Davey to name a few and he was one of those mates who would do anything for you. Andy has helped me and so many of his friends when they have been going through difficult times and would always lend an ear to listen to your problems. Andy wasn’t afraid to show his emotions and let his friends know when things were getting him down but he could be a stubborn git when taking other peoples advise on board. At the beginning of our friendship Andy and I would spend a lot of time in the Gamecock and drinking in Donny. We would play games in Donny such as who could pull the ugliest bird for a bet, I always normally won. When I was younger I also spent a lot of time at Andy’s parents , I think it may have had something to do with the great Sunday dinners his mum always used to cook and they always made me feel so welcome and part of the family. I remember Andy telling me that he had met a girl he was crazy about, it was of course Kerry and it was no longer just me and Andy, however Kerry also became a close friend and they went on to have two beautiful children, Connor and Caitlan. Everyone who knew Andy will know how much of a devoted Dad he was to his children and he wasn’t the type of Dad where his children were a burden to him; To be quite honest he was as much as a big kid as they are and they were the center of his world. He would spend many hours playing on gaming consoles with Connor and tickling Caitlan. I remember Andy being a right family man always concerned about his Mum & Dad and their health and happiness and what his Sisters, Nieces and Nephews were up to. I remember, and so will many of his friends and family, the great BBQ’s that he used to have, it would take days to recover; either from drinking too much, eating too much or from being thrown into the kids swimming pool fully clothed. That’s what Andy was like; A real joker . While Andy would love his BBQ’s he would also love going out drinking and when he was out he always fancied himself as the next Rod Stewart on the karaoke and many of his family and friends would often hear him singing Rod Stewart songs, and God, could he sing. A couple of years ago Andy and a large group of our friends all went to Deva Dub and I’m sure many of you will have seen the pictures on 'Facebook' of me & Andy dressed as women. However it wasn’t just us who dressed up, all the lads put on their wigs and got their lipsticks out. I remember Andy spent most of the night lifting his dress up and asking people if they wanted to ‘see his growler’ and that is something that I will truly miss about Andy; he could make us laugh and wasn’t afraid to make himself the joke to do it. On another occasion Andy, my brother 'H' and I went to Donnington Park to watch car racing, we stayed about a mile and a half away on a camp site drinking and fooling around and the reason I remember this is because out of the whole weekend we never made it to the race track as we were either to drunk or to hung over to get there. It was a fantastic weekend and one i will not forget. Andy’s death was unexpected and he was too young. While Andy had his health problems he lived his life to the full. He loved so many people in his short life and many people are able to call him a true friend. I will be forever grateful to have known Andy and to have been his friend for all those wonderful years. All the memories I share about Andy will be forever cherished and he will live forever in all our hearts. I know this is a sad time for everyone, but Andy wanted to make people laugh and be happy. So let’s celebrate his life. Let’s think back to how Andy has touched our lives, how much of a good person and Dad he was and how much he could make us laugh and be thankful that we were able to know a truly remarkable person. I hope that Andy saves me a seat right next to his so that our friendship can continue as though it never ended Until we meet again my friend.