MOVING tributes have been paid to a motorcyclist who died after a crash on Saturday morning.

Kirk Parsons, from Bovington, died after his motorcycle was in a collision with a camper van driven by a 74-year-old man at the entrance to Bovington Tank Museum at around 11.50am.

The 27-year-old has been described by family and friends as a witty and loveable person who was very popular in the community he grew up in.

His father Barry Parsons, of Higher Wood, said: “He was very loved and will be missed very much.”

As a qualified mechanic, Kirk, of Arras Road, could often be found under the bonnet of a car or working on his motorcycle, a powerful Honda CBR which he was riding when the crash happened.

Around 20 of Kirk’s closest friends gathered in his local pub, Clouds Hill, on the evening of the collision to remember him and have a drink in his memory.

Best friend Mark Briggs, 29, said they often worked together on restoration projects.

He said: “Kirk loved his bikes and cars.

“He used to scramble in his back garden when he was younger and then got a road bike.”

Kirk’s friend of 21 years, Steve Galinge, 27, said: “He was the first person I met when I moved from Germany.

“He was witty and funny.

“If he could do anything to help anyone he would, and he always thought about other people.

“As soon as you mentioned the name Kirk, everyone knew him.

“It is such a tragic loss - he will be missed.”

Although Kirk trained as a mechanic at college and worked at Garrison Garage in Bovington, he later became a landscaper and fencer for Sharman Fencing in Bere Regis.

But he worked on his beloved cars and bikes in his spare time, a passion which childhood friends Debbie Leathers and Jo Rolls say started at an early age.

The pair grew up with Kirk in Cologne Road and attended Bovington Middle School and The Purbeck School together.

The tributes continue to pour in, with many flowers and heartfelt messages to Kirk and his grieving family and friends left at the roadside.