Judith Worboys
24th January 1955 - 18th August 2026
Judith Worboys – an appreciation of a caring and constant powerhouse
To have lost such a loving and caring partner, Judith his wife of 51 years, is devastating for our HERO-ERA Chief Marshal Chrys Worboys. Naturally she was everything to him and we feel such incredible sorrow due to her tragic and sad loss. Our sympathies go out to Chrysand their entire family.
For HERO-ERA it means losing one of the family, a constant in our busy competition lives, just as Judith was the constant, caring powerhouse of the Worboys family, and particularlyChrys.
As Chrys observed; “Judith was such a large force that there are many anecdotes from her wonderful life, but I can’t remember them all! When I needed to delve deep into my abysmal memory, she was always there to remember for me! However, there are many great stories, especially from her Patient Transport era.
“She loved the HERO events, making new friends and meeting old friends whether it was in the UK or throughout Europe, Iceland, Greece or New Zealand and South America.
“Despite her debilitating illness, she was determined to carry on marshalling as long as possible. She loved driving the Hilux trucks and was even more excited to attend the events, where driving them was planned. Of course, Judith was an active support to me when I officiated as Chief Marshal and would go to great lengths to ensure our Timing Point or indeed us, were not seen by the competitors. Camouflage was used extensively!
“Words are so difficult at the moment, but I really think that the Facebook responses to my posts and my post of Judiths account, sum up what an incredible person she was.”
Guy Woodcock who was HERO-ERA Competition Director and is currently the Strategic Advisor to Competition, knew and appreciated Judith’s love of the sport and her enthusiasm as he worked with the Worboys on many events over many years.
Guy said; “From my first interaction with Judith and Chrys on the 2008 Le Jog, she along with Chrys have been a constant in the Hero, and then the HERO-ERA family. Working with them on LeJog over the last 15 plus years, and many other events, has been fantastic. Her devotion to the job and smiling happy face will be sorely missed.
“Then there is the dedication to hiding the Timing Points on a regularity, led by Judith. They became the most camouflaged marshals out there! Many a time, even though I knew the location or the control, Judith would be so secreted and fully camouflaged, she would even surprise me or the officials when she jumped out of the undergrowth! The crews were also surprised on a regular basis!
“She was a big part of HERO-ERA and we are all desperately sad at her passing. She will be missed so much.”
Judith was born on the 24th January 1955 in Keighley, West Yorkshire, an only child.
Judith grew up in the Parkwood area of Keighley. She had a happy childhood, but being a bit of a tomboy, she was part of a small group of friends akin to the Bash Street Kids, always getting into scrapes.
In her teens she became a Sunday School Teacher at St Barnabus Church. This was the beginnings of showing Judith’s caring nature.
Judith eventually attended Oakbank Grammar school where, unknown to her, Chrys was 2 years ahead of her being part of the pilot comprehensive school system.
After leaving school, Judith wanted to join the nursing side of the military but was persuaded against it. Instead, she trained as a Nursery Nurse working in many nurseries leaving a lasting impression at each one due to her selfless, caring and nurturing nature.
During her teenage years Judith had joined the Girl Guides and progressed to join the Ranger Guides, participating in many of their activities. Some of these were in tandem with the male side, the Venture Scouts.
It was during one of these activities that Judith first met Chrys who came across her whilst out driving, she and three other Rangers were thumbing a lift whilst on a hike, so he stopped to provide the lift. Thumbing lifts was not part of the Ranger Guides law. This led to their first date on Chrys’s 18th birthday in 1971.
Four years later they were married at St. Barnabus Church in Thwaites Brow but with no money for a honeymoon, they spent a soggy few days in Scarborough. They bought a house in the Fell Lane area of Keighley.
As a couple, their scouting involvement continued, joining an adult Scout team they did many activities including the Fellsman Hike, a 60 mile fell run/hike over the highest peaks in North Yorkshire in which they were part of the organising team. It was here that the involvement with radio communications began which would be part and the start of Judith’s motor sport involvement.
In December 1980, their eldest son Peter was born, followed by Stephen in 1983. Judith became a full-time mum.
As the children got older and more independent Judith returned to work part time before eventually taking a full-time job with the Patient Transport Service, part of the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
Part of the application process for this job was a driving test. During the test she was asked to ‘take the next left turn’ Judith did and turned left up a drive and stopped outside the front door of the house. ‘What did you do that for’ said the examiner ‘Because you told me to, ‘But this is a private house, I meant at the next junction.’ Judith (thinking fast) ‘Oh, I thought you wanted to see if I could turn into tight drives to collect patients.’ By pure luck the house she had parked at the front of was a Care Home!
And so began her adventures as a Patient Transport driver.
Eventually Judith returned to her first love, nursery nursing, caring for and nurturing young children who she loved throughout all her life.
Their sons have long since moved on, Peter to Nassau in the Bahamas whilst Stephen remained more local which provided Judith with the opportunity to be a hands-on Grandma to three of her grandchildren.
She was totally delighted when their first grandchild Eva Lily was born and equally delighted when she was followed by Logan, Zane, Corbin and Eden. Whenever they visited or the Worboys visited them, she always had their wellbeing at heart and in true Grandma style, spoiled them.
Whilst all this was going on Judith began her own separate association with motorsport initially during the BBC Top Gear Drive It day at Silverstone where she drove members of the public around the circuit in various cars. This was followed by driving minibuses between the helicopter park and the grandstands at the British Grand Prix with a claim to fame of speaking with Pierce Brosnan during one of these trips and him touching her arm as he and Chris DeBurgh left the bus (she swore she would never wash her arm again). During one of these occasions, and knowing that Judith had experience of radio communications, she was invited into the communications centre of the event. From here grew her involvement with the British Racing and Sports Car Club, firstly in the control room on the radio, then as Safety Car Observer for the Britcar 24Hr and other BRSCC events plus Safety Car Observer for the British round of the World Endurance Championship.
She really enjoyed her association with BRSCC but as with all things there is an ending and following the loss of a close friend within the BRSCC her enthusiasm waned a little, and after a long association with BRSCC she decided to call it a day.
However, this was not the end of her motorsport association as she now had time to accompany Chrys on HERO and later HERO-ERA events. She enjoyed historic car rallying events greatly, making new friends with the competitors and the HERO team, and visiting new and interesting places. She would often say to Chrys ‘Never in all this world did I think I would be here doing this’.
And never did we think at HERO-ERA that we would lose such a wonderful personality who was such a big part of the family.
It is appropriate that we leave the last words to Chrys, bereft at the loss of the love of his life.
“Judith had a full and happy life sharing her humour, enthusiasm, cheekiness and warmth with everyone she met, which I believe enriched their lives too. It certainly did to mine, she was a wonderful, incredible person.”