We received the terribly sad news earlier today that Nick Jolly passed away this morning and it has left us truly devastated. Junction 13 SC member Nick has been an integral part of the modern scooter scene since he first started riding in the 1970s.
I first met Nick in the late 1980s at a scooter club do somewhere, his Junction 13 SC in Surrey not being too far from the club I was in, the A41 Eagles SC around Watford. By then Nick had been riding scooters for over a decade, his first being a Lambretta GP150 in 1976.
Nick was also co-owner of Surrey & Hants Scooters, a shop that produced a number of show-winning custom machines through the 1980s and early 1990s. His own custom Lambretta Hall of Fame was last shown at Scooter Expo in 2019.
Nick’s input to the scooter is one that often goes under the radar, but includes founding and publishing the Ralliest magazine, organising a continental rally and ‘scooter club of the year’ award as part of the Ralliest, co-founding VFM with Lowey from Notts Britannia SC as a scooterist-run alternative entertainment to the mainstream on rallies, buying the first Armandos twin-induction custom Vespa.
Due to work commitments we didn’t manage to nail Nick down to an interview about his involvement in the scooter scene until a few years ago, a scene that he was still proud to be part of, attending rallies and events both around the UK and abroad.
Despite suffering from MS, Nick didn’t let that stop him attending scooter events and riding his Vespa, recently touring the North Coast 500 with Junction 13 clubmates. My recent in-depth conversations with Nick were about getting a sidecar to his scooter to make it easier for him to handle as the MS was taking its toll. He subsequently put a deposit down on one.
Nick’s passing took everyone by surprise. I am going to miss our chats about this and that, but most of all his presence and friendship, as are so many others.
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this terribly sad time.
RIP Nick Jolly – sadly gone, but never forgotten. xxx
