In memory of our friend, Nick Spence

A raffle was held at the Hopetown Brick Show on 30th of May 2026, in memory of a member, Nick Spence who had recently died.

As he was hugely involved in the Guide Dogs for the Blind, it was felt the Lego Golden Retriever Puppy set was an appropriate prize set, and all proceeds would be donated to this charity. Congratulations to Steven who won the Golden Retriever LEGO set from the raffle – here he is with Brick Alley secretary Mim who organised the raffle:

A tribute to Nick Spence

Nick was a kind, generous man, who would help anyone where he could. Members had enjoyable interactions and chats with lots of humour involved on many things, especially his engineering knowledge, his time in the navy, and his volunteer work with Guide Dogs for the Blind. He would help with their initial training, and if they didn’t meet the requirements he didn’t like the idea of them to being given to kennels, so gave them homes in his home.

He was a key member in relation to supporting and building Brick Alley’s first GBC (Great Ball Contraption), which has gone on to become a regular feature of our shows.

Nick was a very private man, so didn’t share the seriousness of his health. He didn’t like ‘fuss’ – too bad on that front on the Saturday as we decided some ‘fuss’ in the form of recognition for him, his life and his favoured charity was required!

All exhibitors, volunteers and traders at the show were enormously generous in buying raffle tickets in Nick’s honour, and an amazing £472 was raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Nick’s legacy

The funds from the raffle were used to purchase 25 post-operative compression suits for guide dog puppies, as Guide Dogs for the Blind explain:

“These suits will play an important role in helping our dogs recover more comfortably after operations. They provide a much more practical and comfortable alternative to the traditional Elizabethan collar, or “cone”, that many dogs are normally sent home wearing.

This is a wonderful legacy that will continue to benefit so many puppies for years to come, and every time one of these recovery suits is used, it will be a lasting reminder of Nick and the kindness and generosity shown by everyone at the Brick Alley Lego Group.

On behalf of all of us, thank you. Your support will make a real difference to the welfare and comfort of our dogs.”

We’ll miss you Nick!