Congratulations to James Laley and Richard Brand who are the winners of our National Friendship Month competition!
What qualities make someone a great friend? Loyalty? Honesty? Reliability? Someone who listens? Someone who can make you laugh, even when you are feeling blue? Someone who you can trust with your deepest, darkest secrets?
Being a true bestie is a full time job and here at Ditch we thought it was time to give a shout out to those who make the effort, and go the extra mile everyday to show you they care. We think it’s important to treasure those that stand by your side through thick and thin, because true friends can be very hard to come by. With this in mind, we invited you to celebrate National Friendship Month with us by nominating your BBF to receive special recognition in celebration of how much they mean to you. We were overwhelmed by the response, and the stories that you shared of long-lasting friendships, were truly touching.
One friendship in particular resonated with us here at Ditch, and that was the friendship of James and Richard:
James on Richard: I nominated Richard because we have been best friends for over ten years now, and in that time we have not had one argument or disagreement. Richard is, quite simply, the human embodiment of friendship; he possesses every quality you would expect to find in a true friend – he is honest, reliable, trustworthy and always there for me when I need support. When my mother disappeared, I was – as you can imagine- a complete wreck. Richard left work early to be with me and comfort me, he even cancelled his evening plans so he could stay with me, and try and help me take my mind off of the events that were taking place. Thankfully, my mother was found alive and well a few days later.
His support is constant and consistent; I know I can always rely on him, and I hope he know he can always rely on me too. When I found out a couple of years ago that I had a 50/50 chance of inheriting Ataxia – a serious and life-affecting condition my father suffers from – I decided to have the tests to discover if I had a chance of getting it. Again, on the day my results came back, Richard took time out of work to come with me, and wait with me until the results were delivered. Luckily, like with my mother, the results were negative and I don’t have the condition.
We have been through so much together – good and bad. Over the ten years I have known him, we have acted side by side in nine pantomimes together, I have seen him find the love of his life and get married (I was head-groomsman at his wedding), and I watched him become a father. I am very proud to say, that I am the godfather to his son.
Richard is one of the kindest, most genuine human beings you could ever meet, and there isn’t a day that goes by where I am not thankful for his friendship!
Richard on James: Even though we do not live in the same city any more, and I am unable to see James as much as I would like, it is testament to our friendship that when we do find the time to catch up – be it on the phone or in person – it is like we saw each other yesterday. James is without a doubt the most selfless person I have ever met. It almost sounds cliché, but I know he would bend over backwards to help anyone if they needed it. It would be a challenge – if not an impossibility – to find somebody who has a bad word to say about him. When I had a serious back injury in 2010 and was hospitalised, James was actually at the hospital before I had arrived there myself. He is a pillar of strength and continues to be a great support to my family.
James has been there for most of the milestone events in my life – he was a crucial part of my grooms’ party at my wedding and he is now godfather to my son. Of course, my son looks up to him and I know he will continue to do so as he gets older.
To summarise, if there were more people like James in the world, then the world would undoubtedly be a much better place.
