Motorcyclist, 20, sprinkled stardust, says family

The family of a motorcyclist who died in a crash in Monmouthshire said "his smile brought sunshine to the dullest of days".

Ben Ford, from Monmouth, died in an incident on the B4293 Monmouth Road at Lydart near Monmouth, at about 19:00 BST on Wednesday 29 May.

Gwent Police appealed for witnesses who saw the collision between a red Yamaha motorcycle and a black Fiat Panda to contact them.

Paying tribute to the "affectionate, bright, bubbly, chatty and engaging" 20-year-old, his family said: "For Ben, life was for living."

In a statement, they wrote: "Ben was adorable and adored, affectionate, bright, bubbly, chatty and engaging.

"He had an infectious energy and his smile brought sunshine to the dullest of days.

“He wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, he was messy, noisy, disorganised, impetuous, stubborn, and often totally inflexible. But that was part of his charm."

They added Ben was an accomplished sportsman, "infuriatingly talented".

“This summer was going to be epic, a family holiday in Anglesey, Hozier in Chepstow, Paris for the Olympics and then to Boardmasters, all with the magical person who is his beautiful girlfriend," they said.

“Ben’s passing leaves an unfillable void in all our hearts. He sprinkled his own very special stardust wherever he went and on whoever he met.”