‘He will leave a huge hole in the lives of many’: Tribute to motorcyclist killed in Crawley Down crash

Matthew Bush was riding a Kawasaki when he collided with a Nissan X-Trail in Turners Hill Road, close to the junction with Old Hollow, around 8.44am on Monday July 6.

Police say that Matthew, from Pevensey Bay, was pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the Nissan were uninjured.

Matt’s family have issued the following tribute: “Matt was an annoying, loving, funny, quirky son to Sue, and brother to Katie, and he will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

“With a care-free attitude and a heart of gold, he will leave a huge hole in the lives of many, including his girlfriend Courtney and her daughter Ashleigh.

“Matt’s funeral will take place at 3pm on Friday 24 July at Eastbourne Crematorium and will be followed by a celebration of his life at The Custom Cafe, Barnhorn Road, Bexhill, TN39 4QR which was Matt’s favourite biker cafe.

“We ask that people refrain from sending flowers, as Matt will be travelling in a motorbike hearse that will have no room to carry them but for those that wish to make a donation, we have set up a Just Giving page to raise money for two charities that we feel Matt would want to help, those being the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikers (NABB) and the British Biker Relief Foundation (BBRF).

“Those who wish to attend the funeral are welcome to do so, but are reminded about social distancing measures. We are limited on the number of people that can go into the service itself, however the crematorium has confirmed that there will be speakers outside should people wish to stand outside whilst conforming to social distancing guidelines.

“Our one request is that those who will be attending the funeral do not wear black or dark clothing. We would ask that you wear pink if possible or really bright colours. We would love to see as much pink as possible.

“May we take this opportunity to send our thanks to all those who have sent so many messages of support and love, we will try and respond to each one individually as soon as possible. RIP Matt – say hi! to your Dad xxx.”

Police ask that anyone who saw what happened or has any relevant dash cam footage of the incident to email [email protected] quoting Operation Drawbridge.