On the 13th April 2023, at 17:00 Ian "Recker" Jones's life support was turned off. He had suffered a huge stroke...

Ian's passing came to us as a massive shock, and it left a hole in our community....

Ian and I had run Vauxhall Tigra Owners Group UK together with the other admins for several years.... As a group we built a big community for owners of these little cars that we both had a passion for... Ian also helped run several other car clubs...

Together he and I built up both of our cars - his Tigra Christine and my Tigra Rascal... Between lockdowns during the pandemic Ian and I spend every single second we could together and he very quickly became not only my best friend but a man I considered family... Together he and I built up our passions, our dreams and created a following not only in the UK but also Europe and Australia...

Ian was one of the loveliest people you could hope to meet.... Nothing was ever too much, he was always wanting to help. He poured his heart and soul into many of the local communities and was well loved by hundreds of people.

His last couple of weeks he was suffering with high blood pressure and a horrific headache... In his last few days he also lost his vision....

One night on the way home back to Shropshire there was a diversion on the motorway that took me close to Ian's house... It was 23:00... Normally I wouldn't stop at a friends so late however I knew he'd be awake and there was a feeling in my gut I couldn't ignore... For some reason I knew I'd regret it if I didn't stop and see him...

That night was the last time I saw Ian awake... We talked about our plans for the cars, a drive we were planning on organising for the Tigra group and we both stood admiring the cars feeling proud of everything we had achieved... I thanked him for all of his help and told him that without him I wouldn't have started to do the things I've only dreamed of since I was a kid, that he had been my guide and my mentor, as well as an incredible friend. I had a cold at the time so I didn't give him the usual hug goodbye, this I can't express just how much I regret... I did however tell him that I loved him...

A couple of days later I received the message that Ian was in hospital... He had had a huge stroke... My heart absolutely sank and I knew it wasn't good news... Seeing him in the ICU on life support absolutely shattered my heart and I couldn't believe that he was there... It honestly felt like a bad dream and I kept hoping that any second I'd wake up and that he'd be absolutely fine...

Myself, Ian's partner and a few of our friends were told that unfortunately the damage had been done and that he wasn't going to pull through... The next few days were spent at his bedside, making sure the rest of his time he had company and family around him... We told him stories, we made jokes with him and we all spoke to him like he could still hear us...

Ian's life support was turned off on the 13th April 2023 at 17:00, he donated several of his organs and these were sent to several people in need...

I have felt a huge hole since Ian passed away... I have struggled to work on Rascal since... Summer 2024 she suffered a catastrophic engine failure.... Ian and I had plans to swap the Z20LET engines into both of our cars, something we promised to do together... I couldn't bring myself to break that promise and when the opportunity came I grabbed it with both hands... Ian hasn't seen the new car that I've bought to raise money with but I know he'd absolutely love it.

To give back in a way for him I am dedicating my new Tigra - called Tiger, to him... Tiger is the only Saab B204 engine swapped Tigra in the world that I am aware of... She is currently running 300hp... This is a car I know that Ian would be all over and would absolutely love... This is a car that I know Ian would be proud of... Together, Tiger and I will be raising money and awareness in Ian's name for the Stroke Association... I feel as though if we had recognised the symptoms of Ian's stroke he might still be with us today... I am raising money and awareness in the hopes that it helps to save lives... That it helps support those people that have walked away after suffering from a stroke.

My aims are to attend meets, car shows and take the car on the track to spread the word, as well as raise awareness in the local community and in the education sector... As part of raising money I plan to go wingwalking in summer 2025... This is still in the works and an announcement for this will be in due course.... The car will have decals installed on her about the project and I will be posting on both Facebook and Instagram @TigerTheTigra.

The wing walk will be fully funded by myself and every single penny raised here will go directly to the Stroke Association.

From myself, Tiger and on Ian's behalf thank you!!

What is a stroke?

A stroke is when blood stops flowing to a part of your brain. It can affect things like speech and movement, and take a long time to recover. A stroke needs urgent medical help in hospital because it can be life-threatening.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly. They may include:

face weakness – one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile

arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm

speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused

The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call 999.

There are other signs that you or someone else is having a stroke. These include:

weakness or numbness down 1 side of your body

blurred vision or loss of sight in 1 or both eyes

finding it difficult to speak or think of words

confusion and memory loss

feeling dizzy or falling over

a severe headache

feeling or being sick

Symptoms of a stroke can sometimes stop after a short time, so you may think you're OK. Even if this happens, get medical help straight away.

A stroke is more likely to happen if you're older, but it can happen at any age.

There are three different types of stroke:

1) An ischaemic stroke – this happens when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain. It's the most common type of stroke

2) A haemorrhagic stroke – this happens when a blood vessel bursts

3) A transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini stroke) – this is when the symptoms of a stroke do not last very long (less than 24 hours)

A TIA should be treated as urgent. If you do not get immediate medical attention, you could be at risk of having a full stroke.