Alan Edwin Burford-Salter

In Loving Memory of Alan Edwin Burford-Salter

28 January 1955 – 8 July 2025

It is with deepest sadness and enduring love that I announce the sudden and unexpected passing of my beloved partner, Alan Edwin Burford-Salter, on Tuesday 8 July 2025.

Alan was born in Leatherhead on 28 January 1955 and lived a life filled with curiosity, creativity, and resilience. He spent time in Kingston upon Thames, worked across the seas as a wedding photographer on cruise ships, and captured the world through a camera lens with astonishing sensitivity. Photography, music, travel, and a deep connection to nature shaped his spirit, and his love for rally car racing brought him both joy and recognition—his photographs published in numerous newspapers and sporting magazines.

Despite a life marked by adversity—being given up for adoption, losing his twin brother at birth, surviving a full brain haemorrhage in his 20s, and later living with kidney failure—Alan never lost his sparkle. He was my Tigger, always bouncing, always rushing about, always lighting up the room simply by walking into it.

Our love story began on 26 January 2002, in an unusual but unforgettable way. Alan responded to a personal ad I had placed in a gay magazine, asking for someone with a particular... interest. He turned up exactly when he said he would, and instead of following through with the ad, we ended up talking for six hours straight. That moment defined us: deeply connected, joyfully surprising, and always accepting of each other just as we were. The joke we kept between us for over two decades was that he never did spank me. Instead, he gave me his heart—and I gave him mine.

For over 23 years, we stood side by side, supporting and celebrating each other through every high and every challenge. Alan had no immediate family, but I was—and remain—the one who stood beside him, facing the world with love and loyalty.

IF asked why we were together, I replied with this:
“I love my life because it gave me him. I love him because he is/was my life,”


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Farewell Arrangements

Alan will be cremated on Tuesday 29 July 2025. This will be a direct cremation with no formal service, as per his wishes.

The hearse will depart Haine and Son Funeral Directors in Polegate shortly before 8:00 am that morning. You are welcome to stand along the High Street if you would want to watch him depart.

A Celebration of Alan’s Life will be held at a later date (to be confirmed).

If you would like to send flowers, they must be delivered to Haine and Son before close of business on Monday 28 July. However, Alan would prefer a donation to the British Kidney Federation, a cause close to his heart.

If you wish to say a private farewell, please contact Haine and Son directly to arrange a visit. You are welcome to spend as much time with Alan as you need—once, or as many times as your heart requires.


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Alan, my darling Tigger, thank you for every laugh, every journey, every quiet night, and every storm we weathered together.
You were my adventure, my calm, my home.

Forever bouncy. Forever loved. Forever you.