THE family of a motorcyclist who was killed in a crash with a car have paid a heartfelt tribute to a “loving, funny, quirky son”.

Matthew Bush was riding along Turners Hill Road in Crawley Down last Monday when he was in collision with a grey Nissan X-Trail.

The 26-year-old from Pevensey Bay was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family have now paid tribute to Matthew in a statement.

It read: “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 carefree 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.”

His family have also released details of Matthew’s funeral and a celebration of life which will be held afterwards.

They urged anyone planning to attend not to wear black, but to dress in pink or bright colours instead.

Their statement read: “Matt’s funeral will take place at 3pm on Friday, July 24, 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.

“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.”

Though the family has asked people not to send flowers, they have provided an alternative.

A Just Giving page called “Weʼre raising £500 to share between the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikers (NABB) and the British Biker Relief Foundation (BBRF)” has been set up by Matthew’s mother, with people urged to donate to this cause rather than send flowers.

The campaign has already raised more than £800, smashing its initial £500 target.

A message accompanying the fundraiser read: “We want to give Matt the send-off he would have loved and have therefore arranged for him to travel in a Triumph Bonneville sidecar outfit.

“However this means that there will be no facility for transporting flowers. Instead we are asking for donations to be made to this Just Giving page to enable us to share any funds raised between two charities that we feel Matt would have liked us to support.”