If you know me then you may have been lucky enough to know my friend Peter Bamford. Pete died a few weeks ago shortly after having a heart operation. I’ve wanted to write something about him for a while, but it’s taken me a while till I felt like I could, and I know that I can’t write anything that will do him justice.

Pete was the most enthusiastic person I have every met and he threw himself into everything he did. Ever a geek, he overflowed with project ideas, and although he could never do all of them he had a bloody good go. Never satisfied with just doing one, he always had countless projects on the go. His latest projects included building an LED watch, making a website to help new musicians sell their work and creating visuals for music nights. This was alongside the actual paying work he took on as a freelance web and flash developer.

He didn’t let all this geekery distract him from what he knew was most important in life; his wife, family and friends. You couldn’t wish for a better friend and I know I am one of many who thinks that. He was one of the friendliest people I have ever met. He was genuinely interested in what everyone was doing. His enthusiasm really shone through, and you always felt better about yourself after talking to him. He had so many friends and knew so many people. Even if you hadn’t met him many times, his friendliness and excited enthusiasm made him stand out. He’s not the sort of person who you’d forget.

He wasn’t just friendly and excitable. He was there when you needed him. When I’ve been down, his wife Anna and him have been there for me. They made me realise how lucky I was to have such good friends and what a good place the world can be, even when times are tough.

With so many friends and projects I don’t know how Pete managed to keep up. It wasn’t unusual for a Pete weekend to involve travelling hundreds of miles, to several different cities so he could perform his visuals and still see all his friends and go to any events they’d organised. He always made sure he came to see my stuff when it was shown and I hope he knew how much I appreciated it.

As I expected, this short piece of writing doesn’t do Pete justice. He was a wonderful friend, I miss him, and I am a better person for having known him.