The Drum is sad to learn that Hughie Clarke-Williams, one of the best known characters in the regional marketing industry, has died.

Along with Steve Tucker, Hughie was a co-founder of the Tucker Clarke-Williams agency formed in Stockport in the 1980s. The agency eventually moved into Manchester's Northern Quarter and built up an enviable creative reputation, enjoying success at the D&AD Awards and The Roses.

Tucker Clarke-Williams fizzled out after the mid-2000s (before being dissolved in 2009) but its legacy can be seen in the industry today. Former staff have gone on to form agencies including Love Creative, Music, Reform Creative and Elevator.

Here, Hughie's friends and colleagues from down the years share some of their memories and favourite anecdotes...

Paul Heaton, Reform: "I worked for Hughie for three years and was very fond of the man.

"I remember on one instance we were really up against it on a deadline for an Emap Radio job. I had a holiday booked and was hoping to travel on a certain day. Unfortunately I had to work due to the deadline and missed the first few days of my holiday. These days were originally going to be spent travelling. Hughie paid for a flight, car hire and hotel room for myself and my partner and the holiday was rescued thanks to Hughie’s generosity.

"I found Hughie Clarke-Williams to be a very kind and generous man and his death is a terrible loss to his family and friends."

Phil Skegg, Love: "I started as a tea boy from day one of Tucker Clarke-Williams so I lived through it all, and survived. My fondest memories were the annual Tucker Clarke-Williams trips away, which became notorious but totally mind-expanding. Alas, what went on in those trips, stayed there. It was definitely an introduction to the University of Life and tales from them are still regularly retold... but unfortunately unprintable.

"Also Hughie’s catchphrase 'Are you making me any money?' used to regularly ring around the office....

"But this little side story seems to sum him up: he once bought a ham salad baguette, devoured half of it and all its meat content, cut off the end and then sold it to another member of staff as an egg sandwich for more than he paid for it in the first place. Genius."

Carl Jordan, Elevator: "I worked for Hughie and Steve from 1990 to 2002 and they really were the best days, especially the drinking trips abroad – just non-stop laughing from beginning to end, although I’ve never quite got over the ‘horse’ incident in Madrid when I was a fresh faced 17 year old!!
 
"Thanks for the numerous memories, the world is now a far duller place."

Dave Palmer, Love: "Everything about Hughie was brilliantly unorthodox, I remember when he rang me to offer me a job of Designer at TCW.

"He said, 'Palmer, you've got the job, but if you're sh*t, you'll be out'  - I'd never heard anything like it.

"When I first started there it was very odd, Hughie seemed to call everyone in the agency 'Tommy', to add to the confusion Phil, Alistair and Dave all called each other 'Tommy' too. In fact everyone involved in the business was called 'Tommy'.

"Or the time I first had to fetch his lunch, an unusual request, a pepperoni pizza with donner meat on top. On paper you'd swear it wouldn't work, but somehow it did, which sums up Hughie and his maverick Stockport agency above a dentist."

David Simpson, Music: "As I'm sitting here thinking about being out on the raz with Hughie and all the laughs, fights, deals, Guinness, pitches, taxi drivers, Cherryade, Streisand, Lamb and Lamb, Ant's jacket and The Florist.... I'm welling up. Meanwhile Hughie's somewhere pissing himself laughing.

"Totally irrepressible. I owe him so much."

We will be adding more tributes to Hughie from his colleagues and peers down the years very soon. Please feel free to share your memories and anecdotes of time spent with Hughie below.