Nicola Jane Winterbottom

When I thought about what I was going to say today about Nicola, I struggled, not to find things to say about Nicola, but on what I could tell you that would in some way give you some insight into what made Nicola the special person she was. I could talk for hours about the times we have shared but I apologise for the fact that the few words I have now will still be a poor reflection of the many ways in which she was such a special person

When I think of Nicola, my first thoughts are of her sense of humour and playfulness.

Nicola was the first person to admit that she had the sort of sense of humour that if somebody was to walk into a lamppost, she would be howling with laughter before she went to see if they were alright…something which I would come to personally experience on many occasions not least on one of our earliest holidays together in Scotland.

Having gone fishing for the morning, Nicola and her parents( who had joined us for a few days) came by to see how I was doing. After chatting for a while, as I climbed back down the bank I managed to fall and with a complete cartwheel found myself neck deep in the canal. My overriding memory of that event was not Nicola’s dad scrambling down the bank to pull me out, but of Nicola paralyzed with laughter, with tears running down her face. So it will come as no surprise to you that on another occasion when I was effectively trapped by an irate flock of geese when trying to get out of our car, Nicola swiftly bolted off to a safe distance howling with laughter as she went.

However I was by no means the only person who experienced Nicola’s idea of what was funny, as one of our neighbours, Carl found out to his cost when he returned hone to find a full scale water fight in progress, started by Nicola, that was ended by Nicola sneaking round to his backgate and pouring a full bucket of water all over him, still in his suit and tie!

With this sense of humour, her ready smile, and the laughter that seemed always to be lurking in her eyes, Nicola was a person that was easy to like and always came across as a person you could trust, which was absolutely true unless of course you happened to be playing cards…….

When Nicola and I were saving for our first house we found ourselves staying in and quite often playing cards, at which Nicola seemed to be almost unbeatable!!..............It was only when we were married that she finally admitted that behind that innocent smile she had been cheating every time she had been the one keeping the score!

Even knowing this when Nicola bought her pride and joy a black MR2 sports car, (which I hasten to add I always seemed to be the one cleaning!) My only concern was that Nicola would damage her hearing from the volume she played her cd’s in the car, which you could hear as she turned the corner to our house! and which she would swiftly turn down as she drove into our drive if she spotted my car!!

How little I knew….it was again only afterwards, when the MR2 had gone, replaced by a VW golf, (but only because neither Matthews’ trolley or baby seat would fit!) that it slipped out in conversation that the golf seemed slow and didn’t handle very well and that Nicola admitted that her journeys seemed to often include burning off boy racers on the local twisty lanes at some quite horrendous speeds!

So perhaps knowing this gives some insight into the Nicola that many people knew from her work. Nicola was rightly proud of the success she achieved through her own hard work and long nights of study

Nicola was a person of absolute discretion and I am told gained the trust of many of her colleagues and cared passionately about being thoroughly professional, and I can remember she cared deeply about providing the best possible service to the managers she worked with…but those same colleagues and managers will no doubt also remember those ..ahem…discussions that you thought were an argument but for some reason never seemed to quite go the way you thought…

well please don’t be surprised…I had the honour to be married to Nicola for almost 12 years and on the rare occasions we argued sorry I mean discussed a difference of opinion I never actually won one either!...even if I may of thought I had at the time!!

I also know from the comments made by those same managers even back to her first role in HR at Tarmac that had Nicola’s health not failed her, Nicola would have continued her career to even greater success if she had so chosen to do so.

You see that was another of Nicola’s great strengths, Nicola was a person who had the independence of spirit that she never compromised on her personal feelings. Nicola chose what she did with her life, who she was friends with and who she worked with and those people who were close to Nicola will understand that it was always a pleasure to be with Nicola because you knew she was spending time with you because she wanted to and not because she had to.

Speaking now of Nicola’s illness, despite her very poor prognosis even back in 2001 Nicola never let herself become depressed and concentrated on living her life to the full. Whilst as anybody can understand, we all have our “black moments” as Nicola and I would call them. Nicola never let them or her illness completely take over our life. It’s a testament to Nicola’s personality which still shone through that we ended up on first name terms with most of her consultants who seemed more like friends when visiting them as we regularly had to.

On that thought I must take this opportunity to thank Andy Elves, Mike Wallace, Nick James and Kevin Eardley and all their teams for all the kindness they showed to Nicola and the fact that each of them never ever gave up despite the challenges we faced.

Only a few short weeks before she died Nicola was so pleased to be able to repay some of the help and kindness she had received by appearing on TV to help others less fortunate than her obtain the drugs that were keeping her alive.

Even during 2006 when she faced some of her biggest challenges Nicola still found it in her to joke about her ill health, and on her dramatic loss of weight she merely saw it as another opportunity to buy new clothes! Something Nicola was not exactly adverse to!!! But then again Nicola had an uncanny ability to wear anything and still look great.

Throughout 2006 Nicola was able to use her amazing strength of character to be able to still look forward and to plan for the future, and even now I still have strict instructions on what Nicola wanted for the family for 2007

Whilst speaking of Nicola’s strengths Nicola was a great organiser, whether at work, or when arranging a dinner for friends at our home or more recently in arranging our family holidays to Cornwall.

Nicola was so proud of our boys and our recent Holidays to Cornwall have included some of the happiest times we have shared over the last few years. Nicola took such great delight in the times we spent together on the beach helping the boys to dig ever deeper holes, higher sandcastles or bigger dams!

After such special times, there can never be enough words for me to express how special Nicola was and how deeply Matthew, James and I miss her already so I will finish on this thought..

The picture you see today was of Nicola on holiday on the beach and the smile and twinkle in her eyes says everything! Being splashed by the boys was an occupational hazard for me and usually it was Nicola organising the splashing!