He never forgot his home town

Family and friends paying tribute to Mr Nigel Doughty after his sudden death have told how his home town always retained a special place in his life.

Mr Doughty, the owner of Nottingham Forest, who was born and brought up in Newark, was found dead in the gym at his home in Skillington, Lincolnshire, on Saturday. He was 54.

An inquest into Mr Doughty’s death was due to open in Lincoln yesterday.

His aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs John Sooley, who live in Newark, said he remained a humble man who never forgot his family or home town.

Mrs June Sooley said: “It was a dreadful, dreadful shock when we heard the news.

“We will always remember him. He never forgot his roots.

“Whenever he phoned he was just the same old Nigel, happy to have a chat and a catch-up, and when we saw him he would give us a great big hug.”

Mrs Sooley said he had always been passionate about Forest.

“I still see him as a young ’un, who absolutely loved Forest,” she said.

The Doughty Family Foundation paid for a £1m pre-operative assessment centre and extended endoscopy section at Newark Hospital.

Mr Doughty opened them personally in 2010.

They are named after his mother, the late Mrs Mercia Doughty, who was a nurse at the hospital.

In her later years she was cared for at Beaumond House Community Hospice, which is Forest’s chosen charity this season.

“We are very proud of what Nigel has achieved, and he will always be remembered in Newark because of what he did for the hospital,” said Mrs Sooley.