A MEMBER of a well-known Herefordshire sporting family was killed in a road crash in the early hours of Saturday February 8.

Nathan Whitbread was driving from Woofferton towards Orleton on the B4362 at around 2am when his BMW 530 saloon left the road.

No other vehicles were involved in the incident, and when ambulances attended at 2.10am, Mr Whitbread was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 27-year-old from Kingsland was the son of former Hereford United goalkeeper Tim Whitbread, and like his father, enjoyed sport immensely.

He had coaching awards in football, tennis and rugby, and had been a popular member of Luctonians Cricket club since the age of 10.

His proud father Tim said: "Nathan was warm, kind, energetic, intelligent, cheerful and loving. He always looked for the positive side of things and was never critical of people."

This side to his character enabled Nathan to make many special friends throughout his life from early beginnings at Minster College right up to his time at Manchester Metropolitan University where he gained a BA Hons Degree in Business Management and Sports Studies.

Although Nathan worked in the laboratories of the Kerry Aptunion fruit factory in Tenbury Wells, his father said that Nathan always wanted to make better use of his qualifications and was planning to enter the business management side of sport.

This career ambition led Nathan to take on a strict fitness regime, which enabled him to lose six stone in weight.

His father Tim echoed the words of many when he described his young son.

"Nathan will be remembered as a lovely young man, a perfect friend and a wonderful son. It was so unfair he was taken from us all so young but he will never be forgotten."