THE victim of a fatal road traffic collision on the A48 at Cowbridge on Wednesday, 16 October has been named as 35-year-old Mark Orpin, from Taibach, Neath Port Talbot.

Mark's partner Emily has issued the following tribute: "If you knew Mark, you would know that he was one of the most gentle, loving, and purest people you would ever meet. 

"Mark had more close friends than you could imagine, and this shows how nice of a guy he really was. Friends from school, university, the people he met through his dedication to charity work and from his lone travels to many countries across the globe.

"He would go out for a walk or to the shop, in this country or another, and have to stop ten times to say hello to everyone he knew. This didn't help his poor time keeping like his closest will know.

"It's no surprise that most of Mark's friends were from rugby. Rugby wasn't just a hobby for Mark, it was a way of life. He lived and breathed rugby and his passion for the sport was inspiring.

"From playing every weekend and training throughout the week, he even managed to fit in coaching the under 12s Bridgend Bulls team. A lot of these young boys would have looked up to Mark and thought, 'I want to be just like him' and who wouldn't want to be? Mark was a legend.

"Mark was a great brother to James and especially to his younger brother Sam. Mark always made sure Sam was included in everything he did and Mark was protective over Sam even from a young age. Nights out, holidays abroad, even just going to the shop, Sam was glued to Mark's side and he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Mark was a fantastic son - you could not have asked for more from him. Mark is a credit to Peter and Mandy, who should be so proud of the man they raised. You can see that Peter and Mandy's love made Mark who we all know him to be.

"Mark was the best partner a girl could wish for; he even took on the nickname of Asda and just rolled with it. A true gentleman who cared about the small things and would even say, 'I'm not on COD tonight boys, I'm spending time with Em'.

"We are all truly heartbroken and distraught that Mark is no longer with us. We take comfort in the fact that no matter how long he was in our lives, he made our lives better. He was the glue that held a lot of people together and we will remember him for being the kind, rugby loving ginger who we all love and miss. We love you Mark."

Police are appealing for any witnesses to the collision or anyone with dash cam footage, or anyone who witnessed the manner in which either vehicle was being driven prior to the incident, to contact them quoting reference: 2400345160.

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