A CLOSE friend of two of the victims who were killed in Saturday's terror attack has described his shock at the loss of the two 'vibrant and fun' men.

Martin Cooper, CEO of Reading Pride, knew Wokingham teacher James Furlong and American national Joe Ritchie-Bennett personally for some time and later from the town's pride events, of which the two had been 'great supporters'.

He said: "I have known Joe for about four years.

"He was an amazing, vibrant character who always made you feel welcome.

"He always wanted to be with friends, always speaking with them and introducing them to everyone.

"He was always charismatic, and lifted you up if you were down.

"They were both extremely friendly and fun."

Mr Cooper added that the two were popular individuals who will be "severely missed" my himself and the community.

READ MORE:

Reading terror attack: First victim named as James Furlong
Reading mourns terror attack victims – LIVE UPDATES
'I took my shirt off to stem the bleeding’ – how a teacher helped terror attack victims
Tributes pour in for second Reading terror victim who has been named

Speaking about how events on Saturday unfolded, he said: "It has been a surreal and horrible experience.

"I was called as it happened because I had friends at the scene - it turned from unfortunate rumours to hoping for the best.

"Unfortunately, we found out that our worst fears had been realised."

Mr Cooper added that support would be available from Reading Pride to anyone struggling in the aftermath of the attack.

"There are lots of support organisations out there for anyone feeling anxious about this at the moment, they should reach out and also listen to any advice we get.
"They can also reach out to Reading Pride as a community."

He said that the community would, in the future, be planning some kind of memorial or tribute to the victims.

An official statement was also released by Reading Pride, which states: "The LGBT community and our allies here in Reading are a close family and we're stood here outside The Blagrave; a place we call home and a safe space for so many members of our community. 

"A place that today, we have all been drawn to as we unite together to mourn as one."

Friends of the three gathered at The Blagrave in the town centre today, a pub frquented by the three of them.