In my life I have met many people, and made some great lifelong friends. I don’t think any of them had quite the impact that Harrison Denham did.

I was brought to Thaxted Primary School in Year 3, Mrs Rodgerick’s class. My mum had taken me into school early so she could speak with the teacher. I sat down at one of the tables in the classroom while she was talking to Mrs Rodgerick.

Another student came in with his mum, wearing sunglasses indoors. My immediate, very immature thought was: “Who is this joker thinking he’s so cool wearing sunglasses inside?”

But then I overheard the conversation. He wasn’t wearing them to be cool at all—over the summer holidays he had been digging in the garden for worms with a BBQ fork, and somehow stabbed himself in the eye with it. He nearly went blind in that eye, and ended up with a permanent cat-like pupil for the rest of his life.

It’s hard making new friends at a new school, but in that moment I remember thinking: yeah… this is my kind of people.

I also need to mention he could make his own gunge.

I remember sitting together in Year 3 and noticing a green stain on his shirt. I asked about it, and he proudly showed me a Pog pot absolutely filled with this green “gunge” he had made.

I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I remember thinking: who is this wizard, master of arcane arts?

Turns out it was just wet toilet roll and green food colouring.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but that was basically the official introduction to Harrison Denham: slightly chaotic, unintentionally legendary, and completely unforgettable. And honestly, it never really changed after that.

I’ll miss you bud, forever and always.