Ken was born in Fulham, London in 1931 and during WW2 was moved to Norfolk to his Grandfather's farm and then into Norwich, where his older sister cared for him and his 2 brothers.
Ken left school at 14 and sought work in Norwich and London before joining the Army at 17 to get '3 hot meals per day'. On his first day in the forces he met Colin Thackery (Chelsea Pensioner and winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2019) and they remained friends until Ken’s passing.
Their regiment (45th Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery) was then sent to the Korean War as part of the UN forces. Whilst Ken found it difficult to talk too much about the war, it was clear that he excelled as a soldier and it was an experience that left an indelible mark on his life.
Whist in the Army Ken also competed in the Hurdles and Boxing.
When in Hong Kong on recuperation from the war he was asked by his friends if he'd like to join the entertainment group they were a part of. Here he met another of his best ‘pals’ Matt Monroe, with whom he later formed a double act and enjoyed success around the Hong Kong circuit before returning to England.
In the mid-1950s, Ken emigrated to Australia as a ‘Ten-Pound Pom’ where he worked for Nestle, before returning to the UK after a few years, despite having been offered Australian Citizenship.
After working for the Ionian Bank helping distressed businesses turn around, he then had the idea to go into Vending Products - a new industry hitting the UK at the time. From there had great success as a businessman, eventually establishing his powdered drinks business in Middle Wallop on an 18-acre site he purchased in 1971.
Ken bought, sold and established multiple businesses as part of The Unicheq Group (including Chequer Foods, Grand Foods, Phoenix Foods and Caley’s of Norwich) and he was well known for his entrepreneurial acumen.
But Ken was never one to sit around or rest on his laurels. Despite his busy entrepreneurial career, he found time to pursue other passions.
He caught the bug for horses through his daughter's love of show jumping as a young girl. This led to him converting one of his warehouses into stables and gaining his Dual Purpose Trainers license.
In the early 80s he heard that Danebury, once the site of the famous Stockbridge Racecourse, was up for sale and he saw an opportunity to take his passion for horses to the next level.
Ken purchased Danebury and it's 320 acres, built his stables and restored it's original grass gallop - one of the finest in the country, as well as putting in first class all weather gallops. Over time, the stables grew to accommodate up to 100 horses, .
With Danebury having been out of racing for over 60 years, Ken took immense pride in bringing racing back to this historic site. The view from his house that he built there brought him immense pleasure and it is Ken's wish that his ashes remain at his beloved Danebury.
Ken's other passions included flying (he was 2nd in the British Racing Championship), football (Chairman and Manager of Andover FC with multiple Cups and League Titles), and he was an avid runner.
Whilst not particularly a religious man, he did spend some years attending Quaker meetings, and maintained a belief in something spiritual. He always had a keen interest and fondness for Native American culture and took much inspiration from their wisdom.
But of all Ken's achievements, perhaps his greatest, and certainly that most dear to him, was his family. He adored his wife and partner of over 50 years, Beth. They, along with Ken’s first wife Joan, are the foundation of a large, united family that includes his brother, 3 children, 9 Grandchildren and 7 Great Grandchildren, as well as many extended family, all of whom he loved dearly.
Nothing gave Ken greater pleasure than getting as many of the family as possible together at Danebury, for him to entertain, burst into song and make us all cry with laughter - particularly his grandchildren, for whom he was affectionately known as 'Pops'.
Ken received outstanding treatment from Salisbury Hospital in his final years, including regular dialysis, and we are therefore raising funds for the Salisbury Hospital Stars Appeal in his memory.
