Tributes have been put forward by members of the community after the sad passing of much-loved Croxley figure Cliff Vassiliou.
Cliff was a staple of life in the village, having run the Croxley Sports Shop on Watford Road for more than 27 years. He was also the longest-serving councillor in Croxley Green Parish Council history, with 36 years of service and even becoming chair from 2002 to 2005.
The parish council said of Cliff, via a statement on Facebook: “His passion, words and actions were always directed to the good of the residents and community of Croxley Green which he called his paradise. His contributions, wit and wisdom will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with his wife, children, grandchildren and all those who mourn.”
Recently, Cliff went viral on social media after members of the community rallied round to support his shop, which was at risk of closure. After the setting up of an Instagram account by Linda Anderson, owner of The Kitchen Croxley, a plea she put out for people to come to the store was shared over 250 times, even making it’s way to BBC Three Counties Radio and the Twitter account of national treasure Stephen Fry.
On the Instagram for Cliff’s Sport Shop, a picture has been posted of his reliable old chair, now empty, with the words: “This chair will never be filled. RIP Cliff. You’ll be missed as a father, husband and bapou. Loved forever.”
Cliff’s funeral will take place on Thursday, June 23 at 1pm at All Saints Church in Croxley Green. His family have said that anyone is welcome to attend. For more information please visit cliffvassiliou.muchloved.com
Thank you fir such a quick post RIP Uncle Cliff