Like most people I have struggled to find the words and have not particularly wanted to put down how I felt in writing as it still seems unreal to me. I can’t get my head around it. I am devastated, heartbroken and sad. Not just for myself, but for everyone who was privileged enough to call Dan a friend. There is a Dan shaped hole in all our lives. I first met Dan around 2000/2001 through my best friend Heather Beatson. It was around this time we first started going out down town to bars and clubs, The Leadmill on a Saturday night in particular. We would sometimes bump into Heather’s brother Ronnie and his band of mates and this is how I got to know Dan amongst others. Although I was a giddy (and probably annoying!) 16 year old at the time, I never felt that he looked down on me in any way. He always greeted me with a big hug and had time to chat to me. We always danced. So many memories of Dan include dancing! Over the years we had nights out, gigs, holidays, camping trips and parties. In 2008 I was delighted to find out I was pregnant and even more delighted when Heather and Ayesha announced they were pregnant too. Being first time parents around the same brought us all closer together and this introduced us to even more fabulous friends like Sam and Mick. I feel incredibly lucky to have had a friend like Dan in my life at all and my life is definitely better for knowing him. He was the most positive, happy, funny, compassionate person I ever had the pleasure of meeting and I will do my best to “Be More Dan”.