The widow and family of a popular Isle of Wight longshoreman and retained firefighter, who died a year ago, are stepping up their fund-raising campaign to try to buy vital equipment for St Mary’s Hospital, in his memory. 

On 2022, Neil Cole suffered a stroke while working at his and wife Maria's Sail 'n' Surf beachside cafe, on Shanklin Esplanade. He never regained consciousness, and died three days later, aged just 68. 

Now, Maria and family are raising cash towards a £5,000 pupillometer -  a medical device which measures, by reflected light, the size of the pupil of the eye.

Meanwhile, Shanklin Regatta Committee is to donate a memorial cup in Neil’s name, to be presented annually, at the Regatta Beach Games, often held on the sand where he worked for so many years.   

Isle of Wight County Press:

Neil began working on Shanklin beach as an eight-year-old, putting out and collecting deckchairs, and being paid with either an ice cream or ice lolly.

He later worked on a beach in Devon and later with Isle of Wight removal company, Dibbens.

Eventually, Neil got his own beach concession and pedal boat business, and a trampoline for children.

Neil was invited to become a retained firefighter when, on one occasion, he and a mate were sitting outside the Fisherman’s Cottage pub in Shanklin.

A chimney fire began in the thatched building, so Neil grabbed a ladder, and dampened down the fire with buckets of sea water until the fire engines arrived. He and his friend helped the efforts, before finishing their drinks.Isle of Wight County Press:

Neil often recalled the Great Storm of 1987.

He was in the watch room at the fire station and received a message from the police saying the arcade on the pier had been blown into the sea. The next message revealed it was not just the arcade, but the whole pier that had collapsed.

Neil went to investigate but, when he reached Hope Road, he saw pieces of 8ft x 4ft plywood flying through the air, as high as the top of lamp posts. He reversed away, worried a piece of wood might go straight through his windscreen.

In Neil Cole's memory, several fund-raising events are being planned for later in the year.

The aim is to buy equipment used during eye examinations to reveal issues in the brain - helping determine whether a life-support machine is needed.  

"He did so much to try to help people"

Maria, who still runs the cafe, said: "The staff at the A&E and ICU departments at St Mary’s Hospital worked tirelessly for three days with Neil, before deciding he would not recover.

"He was on the NHS organ donor register, and it is gratifying that his liver was transplanted into a 62-year-old woman in Southampton, who is still doing well.

"He did so much to try to help people while he was alive, and even helped someone after he had passed away.

"In such cases as Neil’s, time is important, and a pupillometer might have saved medical staff three days of dedicated work, and three days of anguish for all our family.” 

Can you help Maria with donations?

  • Drop them to her at the Sail 'n' Surf cafe, or to Coles Bazaar and Snackery, also on Shanklin Esplanade, which is owned and run by Neil’s sister, Sara Cole.  

Neil's charity work included making numerous trips to Romania, to deliver clothes, and school and medical equipment to the country’s poverty-stricken street children. He also helped build a well to supply fresh drinking water.

Another time, he walked to London in full kit to raise funds for Children in Need, even meeting Terry Wogan on TV.

Later, he supplied 10 nebulisers for St Mary’s children’s ward.

Efforts like these saw him awarded a British Empire Medal in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s honours in 2013.