Linda Jordan Memorial Ride-Stride-Glide

Neil Martin Jordan was born in Marlborough on the 28th of February 1951, a second son for Frederick and Marjorie Jordan and a brother for Alan.  Neil’s sister, Katharine, was born eight years later.

Neil was brought up in the village of Oare in Wiltshire.  He attended the village school before moving onto Marlborough Grammar School in 1961.  Neil represented the school at rugby, basketball and athletics, and was a member of the choir, and the school and county youth orchestras.  Whilst at school, he was a member of the team that set a new world record for non-stop basketball in a game that went on for over three days.

After passing his A-levels, he took up a place at Swansea University.  He represented the university at basketball and became an active member of the mountaineering club.  It was at Swansea that he developed his love of the mountains and rock climbing.  Having obtained his BA in Geography, Neil went to Crewe College of Education to take a Diploma in Education.  He passed the exams, despite spending more time climbing than studying, but decided against a career in teaching.

While working on a farm before starting his career, Neil met Linda and they quickly became inseparable.  They married in 1975, and had two sons, Richard in 1979 and Stuart in 1982.

Neil became a management trainee at UBM (United Builders Merchants) in Bristol in 1973 and progress through the company’s buying office to become the Product Manager for all the light side of the business.

In 1978, Neil took up the position of assistant buyer for DIY at Debenhams in London.  He was to remain with the company for the next 26 years.  Neil progressed through the buying departments as buyer, merchandiser and Buying and Merchandising Controller before moving into Distribution in 1997.  He was later appointed Distribution Director and finally Logistics and Distribution Director in 2002.  During this period, Neil also acted as a school governor, secretary and treasurer of a local church, and was an active supporter of the local Scout Troop.

In 2004, Neil was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Following an operation, he returned to work in October, just a few weeks before Linda’s cancer recurred.  It was not a difficult decision to take early retirement in December 2004 so that they could spend as much time together as possible.

During his early retirement, Neil resumed his interest in kayaking, which he had originally started with Stuart when he was in the Scouts.

When Linda became ill in November 2006, Neil devoted himself to caring for her until she was finally admitted into Sobell House Hospice.

Since Linda’s death, Neil has been training in preparation for his memorial journey from John O’Groats to Lands End, which he hopes will act as a fitting tribute to his wonderful wife.