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Our deepest sympathies to Debbie and all her family and friends on there sad loss our thoughts are with you at this sad time eddy7 @ anne7
Only just saw this after long weekend away (bank hol here in Ireland)<br>Never met Craig, and like Mounty never even knew his real name but had maximum respect for the way he ran the forum- a truly wise, considerate and fair man who showed endless patience sorting out our silly squabbles on here. Very, very sorry to hear this awful news.<br>Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam.
(Edited by carvillshill at 9:27 pm on June 6, 2006)
I haven`t been on here for ages and have only just seen this,I`m absolutely in shock.I met Craig a few times at the races with the syndicate horses and he was in real life what came across on here,a real decent man with a love of life and of course his beloved horses.Debs,on behalf of myself and my brother Sky,you have my most sincere condolences.God bless Craig.
Craig’s funeral will be taking place at 1.30pm on Thursday 15th June.
Thanks to everyone for your continued messages of support and wishes.
Shocked and very saddened by this terrible news. I didn’t know Craig personally, only knew him as Daylight on here. All of us owe him a great debt for putting together such a great forum.
My thoughts are with you and your family Debbie.
Just wanted to add my condolences to this thread :( .
I hadn’t met Craig but we had spoken by email a few times in the past, mainly when we were both setting up the forums, but a couple of times over the years too.
I know how much work he put into making this place a success, and he will be missed.
My condolences to all Craig’s family.
I’ve just come back from a week away in the Far East and can’t begin to say what a jolt this news is; I met Craig for the first time four years ago when he first put together a syndicate with Amelia who provided so much fun for us, and as Happy Jack says, many of us had great experiences and met new friends as a direct result of Craig’s vision and enthusiasm.
So many ventures which bring strangers together with different expectations are ill-starred, but Craig and Debs (not to mention little Luke) presented such a genuine and affectionate front that it was impossible not to be captivated. He talked about TRF as a community, and he was delighted to be able to bring people together as friends more than just people who could argue about common interests.
Craig was such a good guy ~ devoted to his wife and his son, self-deprecating, open and optimistic; I can’t picture him without a smile on his face, and I’m glad that I knew him. His family can be immensely proud of who he was and how he conducted his life.
Fair play rory. That’s an excellent eulogy. Probably says what most of the rest of us are thinking but couldn’t put into words. Well done.
A touching tribute Rory.
I hope that Debs won’t mind me posting this up, but I have suggested to her about the possibility of organising a race named in Craig’s honour sometime later in the year, a suggestion that she has graciously given her blessing to. It would be a wonderful way for all of his TRF friends to hopefully get together and share their memories of the man who, alongside Debs, virtually singlehandedly built up this amazing online community.
I am looking at the possibility of arranging this at either Warwick or Leicester and at the moment am leaning towards the latter venue because not only was it one of Craig’s local courses it was also the scene of Amelia’s memorable success four years ago, the very first winner for the syndicate.
All of this is still in a very embryonic stage at the moment, and as many of you are probably aware such occasions take a lot of organising and do not come cheap. However, Craig had countless friends here on TRF and I’m sure that some of them would be willing to make a contribution, if and when it gets off the ground – which I sincerely hope it will. Feel free to PM me if you wish to be involved or have any suggestions to make (I’ve never done this sort of thing before!)
Count me in HJ and thank u Rory for those words,absolutely spot on.
Like HJ and so many others I have so much to thank Craig and Debs for.
I have friends now whom I would never have had otherwise but for this forum and the syndicate that they put so much time and effort into.
It was only this time last year when Celeritas ran at tonights Haydock meeting.<br>Due to my lack of transport I was never going to be able to make it home from Haydock so Craig very kindly put me up for the night and then drove me back to the train station on the way to work the following morning.<br>He didn’t have to but that was how he was,would help anyone out and I was very grateful on the many ocassions he gave me lifts to and from the stables etc…
I remember how chuffed he was for us after Celeritas ran so well at the Craven meeting (as I was jokingly considered a jinx for the syndicate).
And after Taj’s debut,he like everyone was buzzing about her future.<br> I never could have imagined I would never see him again after that and I’m going to miss him terribly.
All my thoughts are with the family at this very sad time.
I have posted this on another forum…… but this is really where it belongs.
<br>I will remember Craig for many things. He was so friendly and was a dedicated horse racing fan. As a regular user on the Racing Forum Chat Room, Craig and his wife Debbie would regularly ask me to join the syndicate on a day out, to see if I would like it. They knew I was an avid jumps fan, but insisted that I join the syndicate at Chepstow for a flat meeting one barmy evening, to see their horse run.<br>I went along and it was a lovely evening, even though there was a slight techinal hitch with the tack on the horse. This meeting will be forever in my memories, for personal reasons and for the decision to join the syndicate and have a brief involvement with Archie Clarke. The stable visits were always great fun and it was always a pleasure to meet Craig and Debbie.
He was a hell of a guy and will be sorely missed.
<br>HJ, count me in too, whatever I can do to help, however small. <br>
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