Benedict Michael "Ben" Redding (13 Sep 1954 - 29 Apr 2014)

Whenever I met up with Ben; at Mass at the Holy Ghost Church, at the folk club at the Manor Hotel or in the town we would have a nice chat, usually about music, then a few months would go by, it didn't matter, same old cheerful Ben, gone now but never to be forgotten, too young!

Ben loved singing; whether it was Church Music or Sea Shanties, Ben loved to sing them all! One of the lovely memories I have of Ben was rehearsing the psalm with him at my house, one Thursday afternoon before it was his turn to Cantor in the church the following Sunday.
Rehearsals were always fun with Ben. He and I often started off singing and playing in different keys. Then when Ben realised how terrible we both sounded and what he SHOULD be singing, he would stop and we'd both laugh about it! Sometimes if he didnt like a particular note in the psalm he'd change it and make something different up to fit the words. Nobody but me and Ben knew he'd done that. As long as I knew what he was going to sing on Sunday and how he needed me to accompany him for each psalm, it was fine. I enjoyed our rehearsals - Ben always made me laugh!
As I accompanied Ben on the Piano during our rehearsal one sunny afternoon, there was a massive loud wooshing sound overhead that came over my house and the whole house shook! "WHAT WAS THAT? cried Ben as we both jumped several feet with shock at this sudden terrrific noise, which had seemed to come from nowhere, disappearing soon afterwards.
We both dropped everything and ran into the garden to have a look. To our surprise it was the Red Arrows flying away in the Distance, circling round and we realised then, it was the day of the Dawlish Air Show. For a short while afterwards, we stood in the summer sun in my garden and watched planes flying back and forth, until the rehearsal eventually called us to resume our work and until Ben soon after received a phonecall for a job in his taxi.
That was Ben, a hard worker but full of fun and always with a mischevious twinkle in his eye. Ben loved life and he lived it to the full. He had a great sense of humour and a tremendous sense of wonder at new and adventurous things. I loved working with Ben and helping him with his Music. He was a real character. We will all miss him.