We are so lucky to live next door to this beautiful family, and we will all miss Mat so much. On our first visit to the house, before we moved in, we met Mat and Helen on the drive. We immediately knew we had struck gold, with their warm welcome, and a firm friendship was made. Mat has always had time to stop whatever bike maintenance/roof rack fitting (through gritted teeth) venture he was in the middle of, to have a chat with us all. Particularly our 5 year old, Joe, who managed to create a very handy viewing platform on top of his plastic playhouse in the garden. Joe used this to clamber up and chat to Mat over the fence. Mat always had the patience to pause whatever he was doing to talk to Joe and carry Jack on his shoulders so the two boys could have conversations over the fence. Mowing the lawn would sometimes take far longer than it should for Mat, as he continuously stopped to answer Joe's questions. He always showed kindness, patience and that great laugh, our boys loved him. Seeing what a fantastic father Mat was to his two gorgeous boys was a privilege. Hearing Mat and Helen make each other and their boys laugh was a beautiful soundtrack to our Summers in the garden. Constantly playing games and entertaining them it was obvious where Mats heart lied, with his family. A highlight of lockdown for us was Mat sending menus over the fence, that Sam and Jack had made. After placing our orders we enjoyed the best pizza's ever, homemade from Mats pizza oven. Just another of Mats many talents. Thank you Mat for being a fantastic neighbour, a brilliant member of the 'Cowper Crew' and a great friend to us all, you will be forever missed. Laura and Kev x