Friends and family share fond memories of radio presenter Stephen through tribute show
FAMILY and friends of Stephen Clements shared their most cherished memories of the late radio presenter last night during an online memorial event.
‘An Evening For Stephen’ was streamed live on the Stephen Clements Foundation’s website.
The much-loved BBC Radio Ulster star and father-of-two died suddenly on January 6.
His family and friends aim to keep his memory alive through the recently launched foundation, which will serve as a vehicle to drive money to the many charities close to Stephen’s heart.
The three trustees behind the charity include Stephen’s brother Gavin, his former Q Radio sidekick Cate Conway and his friend Gareth Murphy.
Last night’s tribute show was presented by U105 broadcaster Ms Conway, who shared the airwaves with Stephen for almost five years on their highly successful Q Radio breakfast show.
The audience got to enjoy some of the Carrickfergus man’s best work and heard from those who knew and loved him, including his cousin Wendy Davis, actor James Nesbitt, former Ulster and Ireland winger Tommy Bowe and the Belfast Giants’ former star Adam Keefe.
Opening the tribute show last night, Ms Conway said: “On the 6th of January Stephen Clements left us and it feels a bit like the world has unravelled ever since.
“I have had so many messages from people saying what would Stephen make of the current situation and ‘I really miss Stephen’s sense of humour, Stephen would have kept us all going through this’.
“While we had always wanted to have a physical memorial event for Stephen, it just wasn’t possible with lockdown but this seems like the right way to do it.
“We thought it would be nice if we could all spend a bit of time together talking about Stephen, sharing some stories about him and sharing some of his work and just remembering just how amazing he was.”
Stephen’s brother Gavin looked back on Stephen’s early life and early career and said he was and always will be his hero.
“From those very early days he has just been and he was everything to me,” he told the audience. “I looked up to him all the time. He was just my superhero.
“That continued the rest of my life. When we moved to Carrickfergus he went to Carrick Grammar School and, although I didn’t have the grades that he had, it was a given that I would follow him to Carrick Grammar
School.” TV presenter Eamonn Holmes added: “I know a thing or two about partnerships in broadcasting and it’s not easy, it doesn’t always work. But when it does, as with him and Cate, it is absolutely magic knowing who does what, when they do it and things that just happen spontaneously.
“It’s a beautiful, beautiful, chemistry and the refore from his point of view, he knew he had to be good, he knew he had to inquire and he knew he had to get better. He also knew the other aspect to him, which was Cate, and it was very, very funny.
“That’s a skill in itself, knowing when to give, when to take and when to bring someone else in.”