Last week I went to a school friend, Charlie Hicks' funeral. He was the 5th generation fruit and veg man and presenter of Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Greg Wallace http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09r3qv0
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2018/feb/25/the-ofm-50-everything-we-love-in-the-world-of-food-right-nowCharlie was a character and started off in Covent Garden working for his Dad's company Richard Hicks, when it was the original Veg market. His Dad owned Shorts Gardens, WC2, buying it when the area was rough and ready. They ran a very successful business supplying 95% of London restaurants. As a result, his Dad who flew a Spitfire in World War 2, flew Charlie to school in his helicopter and commuted to London from their Sussex farm in his chopper. His father who was an old English eccentric formulated a way of preventing his fleet of 50 veg lorries from receiving parking tickets from outside their warehouses by linking them together and connecting them to an electrical power surge.
Charlie, like me was a huge Bowie fan, which played almost throughout his funeral service. It was lovely talking to fellow foodies Greg Wallace, who is full of charm and enthusiasm, Xanthe Clay and so many good friends. He was a very popular man, a great friend.
David's photo was from one of my first commissions working for Bowie on the Isolar 11 World Tour, working alongside David Hemmings who starred in the classic film Blow Up. He directing a feature on the tour
RIP CHARLIE, you will be hugely missed by all of us