Nigel was born in Manchester in 1950 and moved with his family to Bury St Edmunds around 1956/7. He attended King Edward V1 school (KEGS) from 1961/2 to 1966/7 . He enjoyed the school but was not particularly academic. He left KEGS when he was 16 and went on to study catering at Cambridge Technology College and then worked in the Merchant Navy as a Purser on the P and O cruise ships from 1970 to 1976/77.
He travelled around the world several times and was on one of the first cruises to Alaska. After leaving P and O, he worked for an agricultural trading company, supporting farmers, and moved to Essex. He obtained a post with West Essex Farmer’s Co-operative from 1980 to 2003. He was the Chief Executive of the group for many years. He then worked as an independent trader in agricultural products, buying and selling products across Europe and the World. He was still working when he died from heart disease. Nigel was happily married to his wife Pauline in 1982 (married 43 years) and had 2 children Alexander and Jay. His funeral was held in Great Dunmow in September 2025, near the family home, at Great Bardfield in Essex.