04 Dec Ben Lee Tribute

Ben Lee Tribute

My Nana has always described our family as being quietly close. Whenever we meet up we have a lovely time, yet we don’t always get to see each other too often. No one feels to need to force a relationship where we see each other all the time, which I think made the memories I have of Matt even more memorable. Whilst I did not get to see Matt every week nor month, I still had the wonderful pleasure of calling him my family, my cousin and my true friend for 19 wonderful years. And I will continue to be proud of the man he grew to be for the rest of my life.

Whenever I did have the pleasure of Matt coming around when we were younger, we had an amazing time. It’s funny I always remember when we were growing up, Matt would get in so much more trouble than me. This is simply to do with the fact that whenever I would do something which could have got me in trouble, Matt would take it to another level and do something much more extreme! This would then result in him getting told off instead of me!

Talking about taking things to another level, Matt seemed to apply this to every aspect of his life. Whether this was academically or in general life. The way he has a single minded approach can be an inspiration to us all. Working two jobs whilst in full time education, after putting in so much effort to get sensational GCSE’s and A Levels is just proof of what amazing commitment he had.

It’s funny, Nana always used to tell me about how hard Matt was working, and about how much time and effort he was putting into his schoolwork. Then I’d go scrolling through social media, on Instagram and Snapchat and there would be videos of him and his mates sitting in parks, smoking and drinking! This would always make me smile, and I feel like it describes the kind of guy Matt was perfectly. The perfect mix of hard work, whilst still being able to have fun and enjoy himself.

Talking about having a good time, I was lucky enough to go on a night out with Matt for the first time in January! We had messaged about arranging something a few times but had not ever got around to it. I am so glad we took the chance to go out. Well, I say we had a night out, Matt had forgotten both his ID and his wallet, so we got kicked out of spoons and another local pub and ended up in the dodgiest pub I could think of! We played darts against some interesting looking locals and had a great time! Which shows, it’s not where you go, but the company you spend it with which determines a good time. However, admittedly I did end up getting a tad over drunk!

It was around that time that Matt added me to a few of his private stories. For the older people in the audience, that means I got to see some of his posts which he wouldn’t of wanted everyone to see. And well, I tell you I am so glad he got to enjoy himself so much in his year at Uni. Sometimes enjoying himself a bit too much! I think everyone here can agree that Matt always brought a spark to the room. Not a moment of time has gone by since the incident where I haven’t missed you Matt, thought about you and continued to love you. Like I said previously, I am so proud to of been able to call you my cousin, and I will continue to be proud of you forever more. Keep partying up there Matt and I promise you, every pint I drink for the rest of my life will be risen to you. And I hope I make you as proud as you’ve made me. I love you Matt

– Ben Lee