The following tribute was read by Michael's big brother, Steve, at his funeral xx Firstly as a family we would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for being here today and for all of their support over the past few weeks. I'm sure that you know that it means the world to us. It took me a long time to write this speech because honestly I didn't think that there was any way I could do Michael justice. I guess there's no right or wrong way to make a dedication like this but I know that my brother would have preferred it to be light-hearted and not too long. He's probably tapping his watch already! As I'm sure you'll agree trying to sum up my brother's life in a couple of pages was impossible, he achieved so much in such a short space of time and also made such a positive impact on a number of people's lives, my own included. Something that, I'm sure you'll agree, is reflected in the number of people who have been able to be here today from all the different stages of his life. Michael wasn't one to brag about his achievements, winning the annual family game of monopoly probably being the exception, so instead of listing his numerous successes I've decided to share with you a few of the moments that I will remember about Michael. As most of you will know Michael spent the last year living and working in Switzerland and I was fortunate enough to spend a week staying with him in August of this year. It was there that I remember thinking how well rounded he had become and feeling proud that in only 25 years he had managed to complete a masters, find a rewarding career and successfully integrate himself into a foreign culture. It was also very obvious that a number of the positive traits he had had when young were now such a big part of his personality. You'll need to ask the others who can take the credit for that, my money is on Joanne! Michael always had an admirable self confidence and didn't feel the need to hide behind expensive possessions or material goods. He told me with some pride that he had found the pictures hanging in his apartment for less than ten pounds, he then proceeded to calculate the money he had saved compared to the pictures that I had bought for my apartment (percentages/exchange rates he covered the lot). I should mention he had quite a head for figures! My parents have been sorting through Mike's possessions and it has been revealing that the least valuable items seemed to be the ones that he treasured the most. From old newspapers depicting Manchester United victories over Liverpool (there were a lot of those) to holiday brochures from when he had been planning trips away with friends. It was the items which linked to his friends and family that seemed to mean the most to him. His skill with numbers and let's say his 'shrewdness for a bargain' was a motto that he sometimes used when buying Christmas presents too. For those of you that don't know, in his early years Michael spent a number of holidays working at Marks & Spencers. In a further example of his skill with numbers he realised that if he left all of his Christmas shopping until the evening of the 24th he could get cut price m&s selection boxes. An idea that one year he put to use for the five of us, suffice to say we were well stocked for biscuits until Easter. You could only imagine my delight when, with Christmas coming up, he got a job working for an airline (fingers crossed - please be Virgin Atlantic!). But no, it seems his contacts at m&s ensured the Christmas presents continued to be of the biscuit variety. Talking about his work, I should say that it was obvious that Michael was happy in his career and viewed himself as having been fortunate to initially gain post graduate employment for Bmi baby and later for Wizz air in Geneva. When working for Wizz Michael made the decision that instead of living in the town centre, as most 25 year olds would, he chose to base himself outside of Geneva in a small village. I asked him why he wanted to live out in the countryside instead of the city and he told me that he enjoyed the views, the peacefulness and the fact that it gave him chance to enjoy his great passion for running. His flat was, to put it politely, sparsely furnished but he did have an impressive collection of model planes and air transport magazines. I flicked through some of those and believe me, only people who really like air transport would have a monthly subscription! I think that looking at how he chose to live his life in Geneva provided a clear illustration of what his passions in life were. He was one of very few people who truly loved his job. He had obviously bought into the aims and culture of all of the companies he had worked for and while I was with him, he continually talked about how nice his colleagues were how happy he was to be working with them. As a family we will always be grateful for all of the positive experiences they gave Michael and for the subsequent support that Wizz air have provided my family. Now before I start to sound like I'm on the payroll of Wizz I should also stress that other airlines are available... but none with the same low prices and fantastic level of service. To finish I would like to share one final memory, again from my time in Geneva. Most evenings we would meet and eat dinner in the city before catching the train back to his flat. Geneva's transport system runs like clockwork and Michael, as you would expect, had everything planned out down to the second. I think that this was all part of his training but most evenings he would have us take a brisk walk to find a restaurant followed by a run back to the station and a final sprint for the train! That evening we eventually found a restaurant right on the lake and looking for something quick noted the mini hamburgers. Envisioning a platter of food and hoping to save us some time Mike asked the waiter if these would be suitable for sharing. The waiter looked somewhat skeptical so we splurged and went for one each. After an anxious 10 minutes of clock watching the food arrived and we quickly understood why the waiter had seemed worried by our choice. For £30 each the restaurant had kindly provided us with two hamburgers roughly the size of £2 coins. Instead of complaining Michael found the whole episode hilarious and while I was considering asking for a refund he was revelling in comments like 'they're actually quite filling if you eat them slowly' and 'that's the starter done, what's for the main?!'. That kind of summed Michael up for me. He always looked on the bright side of life. He had a knack for cracking jokes to put people at ease. Mike was always laughing and never taking himself too seriously. I'm sure that I don't need to say this but he deeply loved his friends and family and he would have been humbled that so many people have attended today. I have no doubt that you'll all agree, he was a great friend, son, grandson, cousin, colleague and brother and I'll always be so proud to have had him as my brother. Thank you.