Former chairman of Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley Parish Council, Rory Errington, dies of cancer

FORMER parish council leader and heritage trust chairman Roly Errington has died aged 71.

A well known local figure who sat on Ellingham, Harbridge & Ibsley Parish Council and headed the RAF Ibsley Airfield Heritage Trust, Roly had a career as a lighting cameraman in the film industry for decades.

He worked on blockbuster movies like Mission Impossible and Shakespeare in Love before his skill with and knowledge of CGI and enhanced effects saw him in demand for the growingly popular fantasy film genre. His repertoire included Snow White and The Huntsman and Willow.

Wife Emma said he was “intensely private”, working under various professional names to keep his film career and his voluntary work as a New Forest parish councillor separate.

“The New Forest remained his first love, and his passion for its survival and conservation unparalleled,” she said. “For those who were aware of it, his extraordinary ability to communicate intuitively with animals offered comfort and answers to friends wishing to understand their pets and their local wildlife.

“Visitors to his home near Ringwood would find a haven for foxes, badgers, birds, and the occasional duck, up from the lake and taking an afternoon nap on the top of the bookshelves in his study.”

In his voluntary roles, Roly was consulted on “matters of conservation, planning, and ecology by organisations ranging from the Friends of the New Forest (New Forest Association), The National Park Authority, The National Trust, and a host of archaeological, aviation and WW2 historical research groups throughout Hampshire”, continued Emma.

“His famously vast knowledge on a wide-range of topics was such that people both locally and in the film industry in which he had worked for decades, knew he could provide the answer to any question they might care to ask - and if he didn’t, he would find it for them.”

Roly was the second son of the late George Errington (OBE), who test-flew Spitfires, Hurricanes, Mosquitoes, and Horsa Gliders for the war effort. His late mother, the redoubtable Lesley Errington, was a well-known local figure herself, serving as a respected town and parish councillor for 33 years, and also as chairman of New Forest District Council from 1976 until 1978.

Educated at Radley College and Manchester University where he read mechanical engineering, Roly ultimately plumped for a career in film.

“Whilst still at school, he’d spent time shadowing Sir David Lean on the set of Ryan’s Daughter,” said Emma. “And had been given the unenviable task of wrangling Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard out of their beds and onto the set.

“Although still only in his late teens, with his wittily disarming personality and extraordinary ability to persuade, he apparently managed this with relative ease.”

During the early summer of 2024, Roly had been feeling increasingly unwell. When he finally secured an appointment to see a doctor for tests, it was discovered he had a type of cancer that often only makes its presence known when it is already too late.

Following a collapse at home on 6th October, Roly was rushed to Bournemouth Hospital where he died nine days later.

He is survived by his long-term companion and wife, Emma.

A memorial and thanksgiving service will be held at Ringwood Parish Church on Saturday 15th February 2025.