Nigel Bodyshop Ward

Nigel, was a man of few words, and these were generally about football or cars, directed at men, and I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end. For he was a kind man, willing to put himself out to do you a favour - how else would he have accompanied me to watch Hartlepool United play football? And every Sunday he knew how they’d done the previous day when I asked. For I asked him many times, knowing his resourcefulness in this regard. I have a pair of yellow shorts, which I regard as quite stylish (Fran disagrees), given to me when I remarked on a pair he was wearing. He’d bought them for me in Manila, brought them back to England, and wouldn’t take a penny for them. I still wear them and will continue to do so until they expire, and I always think of his kindness whenever I see them.

Thank you Nigel.

Bods joined us on several cycle holidays in France and kept us entertained with a stream of terrible quips, mishaps and antics. When it rained, he wore a shower cap under his helmet to keep his ‘hair’ dry. In spite of his unwavering optimism even Bods knew when enough was enough. After one memorable trip, he hurled his poorly, maintained ‘vintage’ bike, into a canal much to the relief of his fellow cyclists.

Unfortunately, his cycling skills didn't always match his enthusiasm. He was however unfailingly cheerful, even after being extracted from a bush or dusted down after a particularly spectacular tumble involving the loss of a front tooth.

We will miss you.

SBJ

I have previously recounted my recollections of Body Shop's first trail then on reflection realised he had become a constant adjunct to my Hashing! Here is one such nugget:

We often arrived at Hash trail venues in the "Bongo", an eight seater "Tokyo Taxi" come People Carrier and Camper, and even slept in it at some Hash Away weekends.

When Chunderos didn't come to a Hash, for various reasons; "Having a Duvet-Day" was the usual euphamistic explanation, but Bods was always "convinced" she was asleep in the Bongo and would circle round it gently trying to wake her up and encourage her to come out to join the Hash!!

It became a regular "Bit of Bods Banter" and something I still grin about today!!

I miss him.
OnOn mate!
Teq

Bods,

I recall the last time we spoke on that day, a chill wind but lovely sunshine as we started the hash. You, as usual, were in fine spirits. Me: “How are you today Bods?” You: Fine, it’s not me, it’s the others that are a problem”. You’ve said that a zillion times but, as always, it made me smile.

Thinking back to when we first met, you (and Chipmonk) the grand purveyor of humorous media and, seemingly, never-ending jokes. Gosh Bods, they were bloody awful, yet so typical of hash jokes worldwide! Shaggy-Bods stories may sum them up better. Thanks too for the Zoom joke competition with Chipmonk when we were all hunkered down during COVID and had to resort to all sorts of nutty stuff to keep us outdoor types from going insane.

Thanks for all the happy memories (apart from calling my car Jap Crap! Haha) and have fun over the Rainbow Bridge with the other hashers that have gone before you. The pics I have will bring back the happy memories of good times together.

OnOn
HashFlash

Bods,
It was wonderful being on the same humour wavelength as yourself, but I just couldn’t match your infinite library of jokes and puns by a country mile.
As for cars - well, I am convinced I was right when we discussed why my car couldn’t match yours - it was definitely caused by a badly fitted left handed thromp swabble reciprocator widget despite your worldly advice to the contrary.
We greeted each other on the hash by checking whether either of us had reached our peak performance or were just building up to it. The ensuing conversation and excuses were legendary.
It’s farewell to a great hasher, entertainer, and friend. So Bods, just remember they don’t drive on the left or right above those fluffy clouds - they just fly around with wings. I’m sure you will excel at it.
on up
Sir Raymond

The Bods I knew for nigh on 30 years was kind ,thoughtful ,innovative, decisive, impetuous, brave ,resourceful and humorous. He loved his cars. One Barns summer hash the theme was Arabia. We both had genuine Arab dress and suitably attired I persuaded him to give me a trip down the hill towards the silent pool. The acceleration was bewildering and when I closed my eyes in terror the Speedo was on 70. We were only just getting going said Bods with grin as we returned up the hill. Twenty years or so ago he used to do more flights in a fortnight than I had done in my whole life. At that time his mobile phone bill was more than my salary and he had car loads of security to escort him on his business jaunts to wayward places that horrified me at the thought.He set many hash trails, rarely using more than half a bag of flour on any of them. Despite this he was grounded and a devote supporter of The Hammers if those two could ever go together. Nigel “Bodyshop” Ward, known to hashes all over the world as Bods, you made more than a decent contribution. On In Dange

Rest in peace Bods. We have some happy memories of past times (Amsterdam weekend to name just one). It was great that this awful illness never diminished your love of hashing in any way. Our love &sympathy to B.B. & your family. On On Sister Anna & Dormouse (Brannigan’s)

So sad to lose Bods who was such good company over the years and a dedicated hashman. Many happy memories.
Oldmac Nickbrook

Bods…you were a true hashing legend…i will miss you and your terrible
Jokes….one of my best memories of Bods was on my first Guildford Midsummer nightmare when he and shit for brains and myself with few other hashers stayed up talking and playing music until early hours..that was until
the angry woodyhyde campsite owner drove up and yelled at us all to pack it in…In the last few years Bods never let his diagnosis or physical difficulties stop him hashing …he turned up to GH3 Octoberfest and kept up and showed us how it was done! On Up Bods and thanks for the memories..GH3 misses u

Bods, thinking of you now at the celestial football stadium with your favourite set of wheels in the car park ready to take you to the next hash.
On on
Fetherlite & Scud

Bod’s determination to stick with the hash come what may meant he overcame any potential obstacles; I remember when he walked two miles from his house to Master Bates’ house and appeared on his doorstep unannounced and demanded “Where’s our lift?”, another time he managed to negotiate a lift to the On Inn from a stranger whose door he knocked on, soaking wet after navigating a rain swollen ditch or two!
Recently on an occasion when Bods had found a short cut and was back even before me (an arch shortcutter) we sat watching the pack emerge from the woods into the sunlight and open fields some 700-800 metres away, I could only guess at who they were but Bods demonstrated astonishing acuity of vision to accurately identify them.
I can only remember the last joke he told me, but it is not suitable for printing here!
Nigel “Mr West Ham” may you rest in peace.
ON ON!
Ld Raleigh

It was around 2003 when Popeye had organised volunteers from SH3 to join other competitors running the Clarendon Way, a track linking Winchester with Salisbury and about 24 miles long. Probably because Popeye decided we were not fit enough to individually run the race, we were to complete it as a relay with Bods leading the first leg.
Now most of us were attired in a rather tatty assortment of running gear but not Bods, who had the full Monty, black baseball hat, dark shades, black skintight shorts and vest. With that gear I thought, he must be fast and keen, SH3 would surely be leading after the first leg. At the changeover at the end of the first leg the team waited and waited for the appearance of Bods. Other competitors passed through but still no Bods , where was he? He finally appeared with a big grin and with no reason for the delay but suspected of chatting to other competitors enroute and probably boring them solid with his infamous one- liners.
But that was Bods, amiable, easy going, I never heard him utter a cross word, a weakness for flash cars, mad on football and devoted to hashing. I will very much miss him.

Bods

I can't precisely remember when Bodyshop started appearing at SH3 trails, early 2000nds I think? He seemed to be a bit of a Hash junkie; Sundays with us, Mondays with Guildford, Wednesdays with Barnes .. I had no idea how he could keep up such a pace, and not slow either!!

Apart from that he was ALWAYS travelling "all over the globe".
Often he would talk of "Thursday Indonesia (or somewhere), Friday Kuwait, Saturday; long flight home, LHR after midnight, Sunday 11:00 Surrey Hash (of course), Oh! Laying a trail for Guildford tomorrow, can you come?" Wow!

BUT I can precisely remember his first SH3 trail. Having joined after a short series of "Visitor" trails, he took up his membership "duties" with a will, even if not properly briefed! First trail:
1516 Sunday 2nd May, 2004
Hare Bodyshop
Venue Pyrford Rec. Ground

I was there, along with the usual turnout of SH3ers, pretty good trail I seem to remember BUT what's this when we are done?
NO BEER... Aaagh, someone had omitted to inform him "The Hare Provides the Beer", so; no Beer. I have no idea how he thought the customary beer magically appeared at the circle? Divine intervention maybe?

I actually can't remember how we proceeded but as whatever mismanagement position I had at the time, I felt obliged to hand out a "temporary Hash Handle" of "Body(no Beer)shop" and had it ready printed for his next appearance when I could take the "Hare Mugshot", and take it I did.

Of course no such mishap occurred again and the only "Handle Modification" to stick is, the now customary shortening to, Bods.

Whatever other "Hash Hiccups" there may have been, all were totally wiped clean with that Weekend in Amsterdam! It was easily the best Hash weekend I have ever been to, what a great job Birthing Blanket and Bodyshop did! Thanks to both of you.

Enough of ancient history; how sad it was to observe Nigel's slow loss of powers, how elevating to experience his stoical perseverance, and devastating to witness his disappearance and hear of his ultimate demise. I will treasure the last few times I had with him, sitting on the back of the Bongo, or on a wall or fence or my pic-nic chair somewhere, grinning and chuckling and chatting.

Rest up now Bods!

OnOn - Teq

Bodyshop clearly has been to so many Hash locations around the world but somehow he and I never met anywhere other than in SH3
Sadly I have few photos to commemorate his company and the jokes which, corny or not, I usually enjoyed.
But until DVLA, in their infinite wisdom, decided to confiscate my driving licence he would frequently enliven the Sunday morning drive from the back of my car with partially accurate directions on the route to take from his house to the Hash. The return journey was usually a little quieter. All good fun though.
These photos I took during our visit to Icepick’s and Elle-T-Shirt’s place [Camping Redondo] in Portugal October 2017. Those were happy days. Len ‘Ard-On Provocateur

My recent memory of Bods. It was the jingle bells run and I walked with Bods. We took a really short cut and got to the hall very early. So we bought a pint from the club and sat on the bench, in the cold, and waited for the pack to arrive.
Bods you were always friendly, a lovely smile and, yes, the one liners.
Rest in Peace Mate.
Love Hornblower. Xx

Bods, like everyone else I will miss your jokes! No matter how bad I knew the joke would end I still had to listen for the punchline with the eventual groan! Luckily being a girl I didn’t have to listen to your weekly update on how West Ham were doing as you knew it would be lost on me! I’m sure you are enjoying telling all your jokes again to your new audience in the sky. You are sorely missed by us all.
Condolences to B.B and family at this sad time.
Velcro (F)

Bods you always slowed down to share a corny joke with us on trail then OnOn to the next group to share the joke. OnOn to the hash in the sky where I’m sure you’ll share those corny jokes.

Bods

I echo the words of Baz (Rhum). What amazing times we all had together. You certainly made things happen. Extra memories, special to me, the evening we helped you clear up the miniatures…………carnage…….when you moved from Fallow Dean. We were an asset to the moving process. The time I drove you and Tracy to the hash and your words to me “Neen my car has never been this slow”. You and Creeper at the posh wine tasting in Austria!!!! Doubled up in uncontrollable laughter for ages, over nothing……..
Just your feet visible from a monumental fall into a snow hole whilst skiing. Pleased to say it didn’t take you long to emerge joining us in the laughter.
Your constant jovial banter will be missed by many. You were master of the one liners and always had a kind word of comfort too. Usually ONINN!!!!! Love you Bods. ON UP, to join the other Hashers “DON’T PANIC”

The Surrey Hash Sunday runs are sadly quieter with Bodyshop's string of jokes no longer coming up from behind. He is missed
Tosser

Pitching up for an SH3 trail on Sunday mornings usually meant encountering Bodyshop parking up in a sleek vehicle. He relished whichever car he was driving that day, to be admired. Unfortunately, it seems that although he loved his cars he mangled quite a few too.

In no particular order other memories are hearing wonderful tails of the trip SH3 took to Haarlem in 2014 when Bods was living in Holland. It was one we were sorry to miss for sure.
Other good times spent in Bod’s company were parties in Woodham invariably in outrageous fancy dress and GH3 Midsummer madness camping week ends in Axemouth

Sorry, no photos but you remain in our mind’s eye Bodyshop.

We’ll miss you Bods
On On
Olive O & Popeye

Bods has been a constant presence on the hash — and in my life — ever since I joined Surrey H3. Whether we were chasing trails in Cape Town, partying in the Woodham house, squeezing into a corner of some Woking pub with the Wet & Wild in Woking on a Friday night, or ringing in the New Year somewhere, far from sober, Bods was there. Always armed with a sharp pun, one eye on the West Ham score on his phone, and had a deep conversation ready — usually about cars, hashing, or how to combine the two. He was part of the hash furniture, in the best possible way: solid, dependable, always there on trail and always with a groaner. Hashing is about friendship, fun, and not taking life too seriously—and Bodyshop embraced that ethos completely. On On - Bonn Bugle

Dear Dear Bodyshop … where to start? Unbeknown to me, Bods was probably at my first ever Hash, GH3 at Milford on a Monday evening in very early 2000. I was “tuning up” my running technique having just met Coolbox, and determined not to look too “wussy” for when she was invitably going to invite me to my first "home hash" SH3 run. Blow me down, but there was this bloke on the trail who kept telling awful jokes ……..
GH3 were too fast for me! So my first SH3 run was their 25th Anniversary weekend at the old ICL estate in Old Windsor. A great introduction to all aspects of the hash, and many great friendships were started straight away. However, I didn’t make friends with some bloke who kept telling bad jokes to anyone and everyone!!!
It was into the 2010’s before Bods and I begun to fall into step. He was always faster, and had more stamina, but I was more cunning (and didn’t get lost so often!), so we started rubbing shoulders on the trails. It was always my fun challenge to try and say “Any new jokes Bods?” before he started telling the latest one ….
We did find quickly enough that we shared a lot in common regarding markets, businesses and deals. He was often off to far flung climes with some leading-edge technology, talking to politicians, tribal chiefs, or dodgy characters, about printing “billions” of currency notes; and I relished chewing through with him how his deals were progressing. Occasionally he would ask for some advice. There were all great methods for delaying the “joke avalanche”, until he could stand it no more, and then “this bloke started telling jokes” again …..
It wasn’t that the jokes were bad, they were awful! And, it wasn’t like he ever ran out of material, sadly! But the best thing Bods, you delivered them all with most amazing cheeky smile, and linked your life to a sheer enjoyment of hashing, having a cheeky beer or two, and going away on Hash away trips whenever you could. I know that you’re smiling in that H3 in the sky!! We miss you, and dare we say it, your awful jokes!! (OK, some of them did make me laugh!)

My memory of Bods is his many jokes in the circle when he was RA of Surrey, and the groans and moans that went on when he was about to start up. However they were very enjoyable and certainly created much mirth. I even understood some of them!
On On Bods. Rest in Peace. Mrs G. (Caryl Gurney)

Our hearts ache for the Ward family at the tragic news of Nigel's passing. We send our love and sincere condolences.
Hashing in Surrey is a poorer place without BodyShop's smile, great sense of humour and generosity of friendship. It's been lovely to read of a life lived to the full, shared with so many across the extended H3 family, whether in glorious British countryside, on the Ski slopes or at many a gathering across Europe. On On dear Bods, we miss you.
Madonna & Coolbox

First of all, I express my sincere condolences to Nigel’s family. I know, at this time, even the happiest of memories will cause sadness but after a healing passage of time, I assure you, that will change.
It is usual, in a eulogy, to reflect on earlier happier times and having hashed with Bods for over a decade there’s an abundance of those. I first ran with him on the Surrey Hash and before half way round, his “jokes” and one liners were in double figures! When I sometimes ran with Guildford, his home, UK hash. I told Bods that since I was the second hasher with my handle, I was to be renamed Master Bates II. He immediately said “No, Master Bates Twice!” BUT, I got much, much closer to Bods during his decline. When he no longer had transport, I became his ipso facto lift to the Surrey Hash. This was no problem since I lived just over two miles away and, indeed; he had given me many lifts in the past. Almost exactly a year ago, I took him to The Bounder’s hash at Witley. I, like most people, tend to be a “dementia denier” but something made me walk with him around a reduced loop. In any case it was my birthday and I’d brought a feast which needed setting up. The OnOn was at the Star and as I was plugging it into my phone, Bods said “Don’t worry, I know the way.” When we got to the pub, I was surprised that we were the first ones there. After 20 minutes, I consulted my phone. We were at the wrong Star, in Godalming! It didn’t take long to get to the correct pub and all’s well that ends well, except that it hadn’t ended! Growler, as usual, kindly invited us to her place. Since I often miss the entrance to her field, I started to type in that W3W. “It’s OK, I know the way.” said Bods. At first his directions were very positive “Left” out of the pub (which was wrong), but later mumbling “A3, A3” quite a lot. It wasn’t until we reached Lurgashall that I stopped, put my Satnav on and plugged in “Home”. The route home took us back to The Star and past Roke Lane, so thinking it wasn’t too late, I turned into it and Bods again said “Don’t worry, I know where it is”. Much later, thoroughly lost in the narrow lanes of Milford Commons, I switched my Satnav back on and we got home (via Shalford!) just before six O’clock, Bods said “OnOn MB, I think we took a wrong turn somewhere.”(!) To quote FRB, accurately, if utterly out of context: “So I was the booby!”
When I managed to get myself banned from driving, I became his ipso facto lift arranger, and many thanks to all who gave us a lift. By this time his cognitive powers had greatly improved. I assumed that this was due to medication. Sadly, his motor function had not. One Friday, his text arrived, as usual and I had to explain that it was the 50th Anniversary away weekend and Arthur was taking me on Saturday. He said “I’d better book then.” I replied “Not a chance!” So after that punishing run on the Sunday, I was pleasantly surprised to see him sitting on a wall. He had come by taxi because he didn’t want to miss the AGM. Afterwards, Arthur offered him a lift home but he declined saying he had a taxi booked. About 21:30, Birthy phoned me to say that the family were worried because Bods hadn’t yet returned home and did I know anything. I, of course, tried to contact him but failed. It turned out that he did get home circa 22:00 by taxi (I still don’t know why so late) but he had lost his phone. The next Friday, I didn’t, of course, receive a text but the saxophone riff that is my doorbell, sounded twice. Thinking it must be a delivery, I opened the door. It was Bods “So, how are we getting to the run on Sunday?” Unable to text, he had walked, or more precisely, “shuffled” the two plus miles from his house. I’m sure that most people would describe Bods as a passionate hasher but I would add the words “fanatical” and “indomitable”!
I’m going to recount one more anecdote which I find most amusing, probably because this time I did not bear the brunt of it. We “techies” claim, quite justifiably, that we have a brain the size of a planet. Most of us would say the size of Mars, but with Petal, it’s Jupiter cf. our fantastic website. One Friday, I was unwell and had to reply to “the text” that I was unable to give Bods a lift. He phoned Petal who asked “Where do you live?” Bods replied “Runnymede”. Now to most of the UK this conjures up “Magna Carta Island” and “JFK memorial”. Petal, living in Windsor must have thought that it was just down the road from him and readily agreed. Bods had failed to mention that he (and I) live at the extreme southern border of Runnymede. It would have been more candid to have told him Woking! “How the mighty have fallen.”

Farewell Bods, thank you for being such a great hasher and friend.

OnOn Master Bates (Twice)

Bods at VH3 Ski week in Matrei

On on bods

we were deeply shocked and sad to hear Bods will not be hashing any more
I first met him early 2007 having retired the year before. he was always always smiling , and such a great fellow hasher.
His love of Upton Park was truly impressive , and being a Man U and Brighton supporter meant there was always something to chat about. His joke supply was bottomless , and since he was almost always at the SH3 and BH3 runs that I went on , he had limitless opportunities to deploy them.
He came to at least two thrashes in Canterbury after I had moved down here, and was always a welcome addition to the guest list.
Our heartfelt sympathy to BB and his family.
we shall not forget him

onon
Cltuching Hand and Salamander

I used to think my Dad's jokes were bad and then I met BodyShop! He must have had a pun for every word in the dictionary. He was a regular with Surrey and Barnes and laid many trails, usually around semi-suburban areas. He must have held the record for the shortest Barnes trail ever! Not that it was short when he laid it, but the gods decided to dump a month's worth of rain on us in the first 200 yards. Sodden, the pack decided that enough was enough and Bods was just as happy to laugh it off and go to the pub earlier than planned. He was never known to be flustered and would just break into a wry smile. Latterly the developing illness must have been really frustrating but he carried on stoically. No longer allowed to drive he was happy when Raffles wanted to snuggle up to him in the car (other passengers were not so welcome)! Raffles will miss you too. On on and upwards, dear Bods. Petal & Raffles

Although I knew Bods was a Hash fanatic and a member of a number of Hash Groups my knowledge of him beyond that was limited despite him and I having been Surrey H3 members for a good while. Certainly we did not discuss matters of genuine importance, although fast cars occasionally featured, particularly if he had recently bent one.
However we did talk on a weekly basis, whether I wanted to or not. He could be relied on within 1 minute of my arrival at a Hash event to approach me, with a big smile on his face, and tell me in no uncertain terms what rubbish Crystal Palace FC were (even after we won the FA Cup), while extolling the brilliance of West Ham FC, one of the loves of his life (although many will say his first love). These exchanges actually cheered me up, and raised my game, being forced to give a witty reply, although I doubt I got the better of him.
Also at lengthy Run checks he could be relied upon to sidle up to you and tell a joke of such length and banality that you had to laugh or groan for his sheer nerve in telling it.
So Bods, my life will now be a little bit less without our weekly exchanges, AND I SHALL MISS YOU, AND THEM.
ON ON.
Uncle Gerry aka Gerry Gurney.

Many memories of GH3 including the breakaway annual summer break foray to Pembrokeshire.
Sooooo much fun,
sooooo many laughs
Not caught up for a while but will always be in our hash heads.
On on, on in and cheers - raising a few glasses to Bods tonight and our thoughts to the family - Laced and Dober xxx

It’s with great sadness but with fond memories in reading the other tributes to Nigel. My time with Nigel was generally on the slopes of the Vienna ski week trips. He always seemed to be in my ski path no matter how I tried to change my turns, but that was part of his skiing style.😀
Lots of those one-liner jokes – good and bad, always a full smile, light heartedness, kindness and generosity. Guaranteed great company on those trips!

I don’t know another hasher as committed and keen to the end as Body Shop after so many years of hashing. You will be missed. On On!

No Grappa (Dana Quinn)

Nige; a great friend, despite being a Hammers supporter, having political views slightly to the right of Atilla the hun, and the purveyor of some awful jokes, he was always fun to be with. Whether it was doing a Ballbuster run over Table-Top mountain, driving at stupid speeds around the Le Mans circuit, or just having a curry and a beer in Kayak.
I’ll miss you mate - who will I argue with now?
teg

Bods would always say hello and talk to me. I will miss his greetings and light-hearted chats.

I was lucky enough to “run” with Nigel for 20 years. Yes, his jokes were often bad, but I did enjoy hearing them, I think we both liked the groans that resulted from many of his punchlines. I also have a fond memory of when the two of us got lost on a hash and ended up getting back an hour late. As we trotted along (we could both trot then) Nigel never once complained about the lack of a clearly marked trail, so I would describe him as tolerant as well as genial. He will be missed and remembered fondly.

When it came to one liners he would be a match for Tommy Cooper!

BODS

I first met Nigel in Doha - where I was paying off my student debts by working for BAT as the ‘Discover Gold girl - selling Benson and Hedges cigarettes. Little did I know that I would meet and marry Steve a year later - and we would become closely connected to Nige and Steph in the UK, and then follow each other to live in Vienna. We arrived in 1991 and when he and Steph arrived the following year we introduced them to VH3 - and they took to hashing like proverbial ducks to water. Friday eves meant runs in the city and Sunday mornings were runs in the beautiful surrounding countryside-always followed by a long visit to the local ‘Gastehaus’ for large schnitzels and beers. We enjoyed many hash weekends spent in neighbouring Bratislava Hungary and the Czech Republic, and the highlight of the year every year - the VH3 Hash Ski Week which attracted visitors from all over the world and regularly hosted 80 or more participants. Nigel loved hashing, and the VH3 hash loved his humour and infamous one liners.

His hash name was awarded following an incident where he pranged his motor of the time, outside the gates of the famous Schonbrunn Palace, terrifying his passenger, young daughter Emily. Always a bit of a boy racer, whose objective was to arrive anywhere in half the time it took anyone else, he continued to live up to his name - achieving a 360 degree spin on the motorway which left him facing oncoming traffic whilst driving to a BH3., and on another occasion , leaving the motorway services with such speed that he failed to notice that one of his children was not in the car….requiring a hasty long drive to the next junction to go back and collect them. (I think Emily again…)

Like any totally committed hasher, he kept his beer consumption high, set hashes that confused or lost the pack and enjoyed the opportunity to get his kit off -first performing the full Monty raincoat striptease at the VH3 666 - or Sex sex sex - and again at GH3 and SH3 events.

Believing that he was in the same league as Eddie the Eagle, Bods flung himself down the mountains with gusto every ski week - only avoiding serious injury by some miracle or other. He also believed that he was an excellent dancer, and he only needed a short alcohol fuelled dance lesson from Steph to learn to waltz - a strict requirement of the famous Hofburg Palace ball he was attending. Needless to say he was consigned to the lower basement of the Palace within minutes of arriving - where a disco alternative event was provided for the less able ….

He held a number of committee roles at VH3 - including GM -and kept in contact with the many good friends he made from all over the world,
He will be very much missed,
On on Bods x

I don't have any photos outside of group ones with Bods. I was lucky enough to attend one of his infamous parties. I am deeply saddened that we have lost him from our Sunday jaunts. The jokes were terrible as all can attest, but I'd rather be hearing them than not now.
A couple of months ago Bods said to me "this illness is horrendous" as his dementia was slowly progressing, but he was determined to enjoy himself whilst he was still able to and so loved being with his hashing friends.
A heartfelt toast to Bods will be shared this Sunday as we group together again.
Rest in peace Bodyshop.

This is very sad news indeed and a big shock.

We remember him hashing with us for many years, together with Stephanie, Steve and Tracy. Also we remember the ski weeks and his company was great fun. He always had his stories to tell and enjoyed a few drinks. I remember the Polaroid passes he organised with Steve, which were quite a novelty at the time. I know he was a very keen West Ham supporter and remember that he sent me a picture several years ago, of himself and son Jonathan at Wembley.

It is so sad, but we must try to remember the good times.

Rest in Peace

Norman and Adriana

I first met Nigel way back in the summer of 1982 at a BAT Garden Party held in Woking for new recruits to meet the Middle East Team. Nigel and Steph were living in Jeddah, KSA, at the time and I was due to go and work in Yemen. From then our lives were intertwined both working for BAT and Polaroid up until 1999. In the 90's we moved to Vienna and shortly after Nigel, Steph and the family arrived. That's where Nigel's love with Hashing started. I had the honour to name both him and Steph, 'Bodyshop', due to the fact that his company car seemed to spend a fair bit of time in Car Repair facilities, and 'Birthing Blanket' due to the fact that she was an NCT Counsellor. Upon moving back to the UK towards the end of the 90's they joined Hashes around Woking and ran with SH3, GH3, Barnes H3 and several others. As RHUM has mentioned, Nigel tried his hand at most things, some of which left a few scars, such as skiing and cycling. Always positive he was definitely a Glass Half Full man. Even though his boyhood club West Ham, flirted with relegation for many years he always kept loyal despite the jokes from all around. He was rewarded in 2023 when they won the Europa Conference League. He even had a Named Brick in the Wall at the Bolyn, Upton Park. Talking of Jokes, his one lines were dire, but he never gave up with them. It was back in December 2023 that I first really noticed signs that something was not right and once it was diagnosed he was very willing to mention the fact, but his positivity remained steadfast to the end. Bods we hope you find a Hash up there and join many that have departed us. On On Bods.

To my old mate Nigel (Bods)

So many memories – including mishaps with bikes, involving lost teeth, bruised shoulders and grazed elbows and knees, mishaps with skis, lost luggage, wrong bindings, lost phones, wallets and skis. Through it all you always shrugged it off with a smile – always unflappable in adversity.
You were also very successful in business with Polaroid and then on your own account resulting in the purchase of Fallowdene in West Byfleet which was such a great party house. So many memories of fun and games in the garden, Morris dancing and Toga parties and of crashed Porsches in the driveway. The makeshift “hot tub” in the garden and partying the night away on New Years Eve. How those neighbours were kept onside I will never know. How many people would offer their house and garden for Lite Bites 50th birthday party!
Your jokes were renowned – the cornier the better. One of my favourites was while skiing, waiting in the queue for a bubble lift to come along when you said “I will take a blue one” – they were all blue.
Our mutual love of sport really gelled us together. We loved the footie and cricket and I was happy to have attended T20 matches and West Ham games with you. It wasn’t your fault that you were a West Ham fan but it created a great rivalry between us. The only time I remember you being “serious” was when you were trying to explain away another game lost by the ‘ammers.
Your later years were marred by the illness which affected your judgement but you kept your stoical humour to the end and your last words to me at your final hash were in jest about your long beard being the result of not unpacking the razor.
Hashing was in your DNA. You ran with at least three groups; Surrey, Barnes and Guildford where you were simply known as “Bods”. You hashed across Europe and lived in Austria. I went to several Nash Hash events with you including 2007 when some fake boobs became over inflated in the sun on the dashboard of your car and in 2019 where we arrived at the airport in Edinburgh to find the booked hire car did not exist so we UBERed all the way to the hash without a care in the world. You were a good runner in your day and I remember doing the “ball breaker” with you at Dutch Nash Hash in 2015. It certainly broke mine but you were fine. You took on all the hashing management roles and did an excellent turn as RA.
I’m sure you are having a pint with Bobby Moore and Martin Peters plus a few old hashers up there Bods but you are already much missed here.
Baz (RHUM)