I, and indeed all of these fine upstanding gentlemen here supporting me, had the very good fortune to know Martin Nigel Mansell Daisy Day for over 40 years … I make that a combined friendship of around 250 years!!!
Years filled with fun, joy , and laughter…
We are here today to celebrate his life and loves over those years both here in a formal way, and later at The Kings Head Stable bar - In, I suspect a slightly more riotous format…
I first met the boy who became my best friend ever on Wellmeadow estate in Bridgnorth aged about 10 and we hit it off immediately – I cannot honestly recall a single falling out between us – he was and remained pretty much impossible to upset, or be upset by … Until now?
Given Marts obsessive fascination with anything and everything you could shoot, set fire to and/or blow up – it's a blessed miracle that we ever made it through our teenage years – particularly when you combine those incidents with numerous trips & dips into the River Severn and more than one near death experience whilst being chased by enraged animals. Spectres of Cows, Dogs & Horses still haunt me now…
But make it through we did
Our academic careers merged at The Grammar School where we also met all of this gang. It is safe to say Martin was not a scholar – but he tried. And still continued to attract and hold a loyal bunch of true mates…
It was during this period we gained and developed our shared loves of Music, Beer and Monty Python
On one particular day at school we attempted to hold a sponsored DO NOT QUOTE PYTHON day … Mart lasted about 10 mins which was a hell of a relief for the rest of us cos we were all just busting to break out too… Every time I see a Willow I will remember that… (That's Never a willow)
Mart was the first of us to quit education, to get a real job with real money , and the first to own a car – well a light blue mean machine Chevanne actually – Tales of the adventures had in that particular vehicle are prob best left for this evenings session – but again it was always filled with music, laughter, danger, and voluminous clouds of Benson & Hedges smoke … The smoke of Mr Ferriers cigs being strangely sweeter smelling than most?
The last time I stood in front of an audience to praise this chap was the on the occasion of his marriage to Ms Sherie Lovell – a massive guiding force in his life – who continued to support him right through to the end – I suspect he was maybe a bit more of an awkward partner and husband than he was a mate? On that day I spent the whole speech holding Junes hand under the table to help stop me from shaking…this time I have a whole bunch of minders…
Obviously the TWO best things to come out of that union were Two great party houses !!!
No but seriously Two marvellous kids Bex and Darryn
They both grew up to be his pride and joy…
Bex is a lovely girl despite me dropping her on her head on more than one occasion as a child.
As her Godfather, I have sadly taught her very little in life except on one occasion I recall when she was about 3 and she proudly brought her money box to me and asked me to count it for her – which I duly did and then promptly pocketed about 10% of it – telling her I was now her accountant and as such due a commission – The lesson here being Don't trust strange men. I am not entirely sure she has heeded that warning tho…
Darryn very early on developed his Fathers taste for danger - I remember once finding him on the floor in the corner of our dining room trying to poke a screw driver into a live plug socket – obviously a sign of his Army engineering career to come .
It has been a pleasure to see you both become adults…
We could all go on and on with tales from Mart's life and definitely will later this evening…
We will all remember him when we raise a glass(or 2) (or3) (or4) (or5) (or6) in his memory.
Years filled with fun, joy , and laughter…
We are here today to celebrate his life and loves over those years both here in a formal way, and later at The Kings Head Stable bar - In, I suspect a slightly more riotous format…
I first met the boy who became my best friend ever on Wellmeadow estate in Bridgnorth aged about 10 and we hit it off immediately – I cannot honestly recall a single falling out between us – he was and remained pretty much impossible to upset, or be upset by … Until now?
Given Marts obsessive fascination with anything and everything you could shoot, set fire to and/or blow up – it's a blessed miracle that we ever made it through our teenage years – particularly when you combine those incidents with numerous trips & dips into the River Severn and more than one near death experience whilst being chased by enraged animals. Spectres of Cows, Dogs & Horses still haunt me now…
But make it through we did
Our academic careers merged at The Grammar School where we also met all of this gang. It is safe to say Martin was not a scholar – but he tried. And still continued to attract and hold a loyal bunch of true mates…
It was during this period we gained and developed our shared loves of Music, Beer and Monty Python
On one particular day at school we attempted to hold a sponsored DO NOT QUOTE PYTHON day … Mart lasted about 10 mins which was a hell of a relief for the rest of us cos we were all just busting to break out too… Every time I see a Willow I will remember that… (That's Never a willow)
Mart was the first of us to quit education, to get a real job with real money , and the first to own a car – well a light blue mean machine Chevanne actually – Tales of the adventures had in that particular vehicle are prob best left for this evenings session – but again it was always filled with music, laughter, danger, and voluminous clouds of Benson & Hedges smoke … The smoke of Mr Ferriers cigs being strangely sweeter smelling than most?
The last time I stood in front of an audience to praise this chap was the on the occasion of his marriage to Ms Sherie Lovell – a massive guiding force in his life – who continued to support him right through to the end – I suspect he was maybe a bit more of an awkward partner and husband than he was a mate? On that day I spent the whole speech holding Junes hand under the table to help stop me from shaking…this time I have a whole bunch of minders…
Obviously the TWO best things to come out of that union were Two great party houses !!!
No but seriously Two marvellous kids Bex and Darryn
They both grew up to be his pride and joy…
Bex is a lovely girl despite me dropping her on her head on more than one occasion as a child.
As her Godfather, I have sadly taught her very little in life except on one occasion I recall when she was about 3 and she proudly brought her money box to me and asked me to count it for her – which I duly did and then promptly pocketed about 10% of it – telling her I was now her accountant and as such due a commission – The lesson here being Don't trust strange men. I am not entirely sure she has heeded that warning tho…
Darryn very early on developed his Fathers taste for danger - I remember once finding him on the floor in the corner of our dining room trying to poke a screw driver into a live plug socket – obviously a sign of his Army engineering career to come .
It has been a pleasure to see you both become adults…
We could all go on and on with tales from Mart's life and definitely will later this evening…
We will all remember him when we raise a glass(or 2) (or3) (or4) (or5) (or6) in his memory.
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