TRIBUTES have been paid to a retired policeman and railway enthusiast from Stogumber who lost his battle with cancer last week.

Nigel Lee, 54, moved to the village with his wife Sandra and son Oliver in 2005 because of his love for the West Somerset Railway, after 30 years of service with the Surrey police force.

Otherwise healthy, Nigel was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in April last year, which resulted in him becoming paralysed from the torso down.

After lengthy stints in both Musgrove Park Hospital and a hospital in Salisbury, he was looking forward to spending some quality time with his family, but sadly never got a chance to go home.

Wife Sandra said: “Nigel fought long and hard this last year and even through it all, still supported everyone else. He was always thinking of others.

“If he could help people he would. He was a good family man, a loving and caring husband, my best friend and soul mate. We had many happy years together.

“Oliver and I would like to thank all the staff from Ward 9 at Musgrove for their support, they have been absolutely wonderful.”

Nigel was passionate about his volunteer work on the Quantock Belle Dining Train, where he contributed in a variety of ways from stewarding, helping behind the bar and in the kitchen, before taking up the role of roster clerk to organise his fellow volunteers.

The Quantock Belle train manager, Richard Knight, met Nigel seven years ago while he was dining on the train.

He said: “He used to come down from Surrey on a Sunday to work on the train - it was amazing that he used to drive all that way.

“He absolutely loved it here. He had a wicked sense of humour - when Nigel was on the train there was always a lot of laughter.

“He was a great man and will be sadly missed.”

Nigel's funeral will take place at St Mary's Church in Stogumber at 1pm next Tuesday (February 28), with the cortege being escorted by police outriders in honour of his service as a traffic motorcyclist, before a service at Taunton Deane Crematorium.