RICHARD Perkins was a quiet man who wanted more out of life, his best friend has said.

The 37-year-old, the youngest of 11 children, grew up in the Evesham area.

His best friend and brother in-law, Jim Loveridge, said the pair grew up together and were inseparable when they were younger.

“We would talk to each other through the school fence at breaktime,” Mr Loveridge said.

He described Mr Perkins, who went to school in Evesham, as a man who wanted more from life. He said: “He wanted a better life. He had so much talent.

“He was as quiet as a mouse. He was a harmless person. He was always in the middle of it all.

“There was nothing he could not do. You put him on a digger and it was like his right arm. He used to be a landscaper. He had a big imagination for gardening. He could see the layout in his head.

“He will be sadly missed.”

Mr Perkins had four step-children. Three were in the house when the fire started, with their mother Roseann Perkins, while a fourth, David Perkins, was at his home in Upton-upon-Severn.

David, 21, paid tribute to his stepfather. He said: “I am absolutely devastated by what has happened.

"Richard was a very quiet man who kept himself to himself, but you would not find a better person.

“He has always looked after me and he would do anything for his family.”

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