Memories of Mark’s Life Born in Boscombe hospital on 5th August 1985, Mark arrived 4 weeks early so was a teeny, tiny little baby. He quickly became the apple of Martin and Nicky’s eyes and they treasured him with all their heart. One day, when Mark was around 18 months old, dad was doing some DIY with woodstain and left it unattended long enough for Mark to think he was helping by pouring it everywhere; over the TV, the walls and himself! They couldn’t get it off him and were worried sick so rushed him to hospital just in case! Nicky said we always knew he was going to be gay. From as early as starting Summerbee Infants, Mark wanted pink school shoes! Girly things used to catch his eye, he always hung around with girls, and from the age of 9 he was in his element ballroom dancing. He had all the gear, the suit, the bow tie, and the shoes. But not before Martin and Nicky tried to introduce him to football. Nicky enrolled him in football practice at Littledown, and bought him all the kit. Only he stood on the pitch crying, ‘I want to go dancing’! ‘Come on then, off the pitch’ and that was the end of that! From Summerbee Infants, he went onto the Juniors and Seniors but didn’t particularly like school. He also progressed from ballroom to disco dancing, which he absolutely loved, and entered and won many dance competitions all over the UK. Nicky used to take him, and she has fond memories of Mark twirling all the time, everywhere he went, even in the aisles at Sainsbury’s! When his little brother and sister Lewis and Stacey came along, Mark was thrilled; he now had someone to play with. Stacey especially became his number one playmate because she had Barbie dolls. They played for hours with them, dressing them up and doing their hair. Mark would cart Stacey everywhere with him, and when she was old enough, she followed in her big brother’s footsteps and began dancing. Mark was over the moon that he could do her make-up and hair and choose her costumes like the bright pink glitter leotard she wore! He was proud big brother and loved cheering her on from the sidelines. By now Nicky had a beach hut and weekends and school holidays were spent on the beach down, his dad would join them at times too. Mark sometimes spent the weekend with his grandma Joan, who he loved dearly, and it really hit him hard when she passed away. He also loved going up to Liverpool with his dad to see his nan and grandad and that side of his family. He got along well with all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. Mark was a brilliant dancer, and as much as his dad tried to get him into his interests like football and fishing, mainly so they could do these things together, dancing remained Mark’s number one passion! His dad took him to Goodison once to see Everton play Bolton, which Mark said he enjoyed. Towards the end of the game, he asked Mark to pick his favourite player, reminding him to pick one in a blue shirt; he picked everyone’s favourite, Duncan Ferguson. Considering Mark didn’t particularly enjoy or understand football, his dad was pleasantly surprised he’d spotted a decent player, even though it wasn’t enough to entice him back to another game, nor start follow Everton! From an early age, Mark set his sights on being a flight attendant; it was all he ever wanted to do. He left school and went to Bournemouth & Poole college to do a Hospitality course before enrolling on the Cabin Crew course. He worked really hard to get his maths qualification; a prerequisite for the role, and by the time he was 19, he’d landed his dream job with XL Airlines. His mum and dad were incredibly proud of him for achieving this. He absolutely loved this job and he was great at it too. He was based out of Gatwick and travelled all over the world. He also worked for BMI and then Easyjet and again he worked really hard to pass his exams to become a Purser. Mark liked all the destinations he flew to, as long as they were hot and especially the Caribbean. He treated his mum like royalty on a flight he was working on to Tenerife; she got to sit in the cockpit, meet the captain, and drink as much champagne as she wanted. Mark loved the sun, sunbathing and having a suntan. He and his mum went on numerous holidays together, many to his mum’s place in Tenerife, and they always had a great time together. Mark eventually moved to Brighton, what with Gatwick being only a short train journey away. Gay pride is huge in Brighton, and Mark looked forward to the annual event, always donning his most flamboyant outfit; hotpants, glowsticks and anything he could restyle from his old dancing costumes and strut his stuff. And it probably won’t surprise you to hear that his favourite TV programme was Ru Paul’s Drag Race! Alas, you all know the last 8 – 10 years haven’t been easy for Mark, nor his mum, dad, brother, sister, and family. Nicky and Martin collected their son from Brighton and brought him home so they could keep an eye on him and help and support him, and it’s been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone. A few years ago, Mark had a relationship with Sam, who he really thought a lot of, only sadly he passed away; that didn’t help Mark’s peace of mind. Nicky said ‘Over the years I’ve been sad, angry, hurt, frustrated, and he’s exhausted me but through it all we’ve still laughed, cried, and hugged’. I know you can all relate. We can only hope that the beautiful, kind-hearted, loving Mark you all knew and loved is now at peace, and his cherished memory will live on in your thoughts and your hearts forever.