Neil Atkins - Obituary

Neil Atkins (BGS 1984-91)

(Photo: Nottingham Post)

Neil Atkins died after a collision with a horse box and two cars in Nottingham Road, between Halloughton Road and Stubbins Lane, Southwell near Newark, Nottinghamshire, at around 2.30pm on 29 December 2013. The 40-year-old data analyst, from Upton, was driving a Mini Cooper to Nottingham Forest's match against Leeds at the City Ground.

His mother, Merna Atkins, 62, of Boston, told the Nottingham Post: "When the police came to us on that Sunday evening, I instinctively knew something was wrong. When we were told, it devastated us because he was the perfect son.

"He was the most generous and kind-hearted person you would ever meet. He had so many friends and people that cared for him.

"We have not been able to have a funeral because there has not been an inquest into his death yet, which is very hard for us. It is a just a formality but it is causing a lot of grief and we have been told the process could take months once it has started. I don't think we will ever get over his death."

Neil moved from Boston to Nottingham when he was 18 years old to study chemistry at the University of Nottingham. He was planning to get married and had lived in his first house with long-term partner Claire Baxter for 18 months when he died.

Ms Baxter, 38, said: "We had been building a life together and, in the space of a second, that is all gone. He was a massive Forest fan and the accident happened on the way to a game. He was the perfect man and he is going to be greatly missed.  His death has left a massive gap in our lives."