Rick Moore steps down as Chair of the HOPE Trustee Board and becomes the President of the Charity
We recently sat down with Rick to discuss his life and his time as Chair at Hope Against Cancer.
On 22nd April, Rick Moore, Chair of the HOPE Trustee Board for the last ten years stepped down from the position and became the President of the Charity.
We recently sat down with Rick to discuss his life and his time as Chair at Hope Against Cancer.
Born just a few weeks after V.E. Day, Rick grew up in the Spinney Hills area of Leicester. His father had been an air-raid warden during the war and his mother worked in the local cutting factory.
His background, and experiences since, have left someone who is passionate about equality in education, of the provision of housing, a lifelong student of human nature and a dedicated member of civic society, as well as having a successful business career in the property industry.
His support for our local area and institutions is long and varied.
He was a local magistrate for thirty-five years, becoming Chairman of the Bench and he spent twelve years as Chair of Governors at Fullhurst Community College where he continues to chair the Trust.
He spent six years as the Chair of HealthWatch, 12 years as Chairman of Building Schools For the Future which rebuilt every secondary and special needs school in Leicester, and he was a member of the board of visitors at Gartree Prison for four years where he met many colourful characters.
He has also been the Chair of two other charities: the Princes Trust in Leicester and The Community Foundation, where he remains Vice President.
He stood as an independent to be the Mayor of Leicester in 2012 where he came in third with an impressive tally approaching 10,000 votes. He called it a crazy-busy but great eight weeks giving him a different insight and adding to his local knowledge of Leicester.
As we spoke, he quietly reflected that he supposed he had done ‘one or two things in his life’! He also often referenced how lucky and blessed he felt about his experiences.
Rick has made a difference in everything he has been involved in, helping so many fulfil their potential. Yet, when asked, Rick said, I only played a small part helping with strategy and getting the right people into the right position to flourish.
As the conversation moved to his time at HOPE, Rick started by saying, “the UK was once described as a nation of volunteers.” School Governance is made up of volunteers, local Magistrates are volunteers, Charity Trustees are volunteers, to name just a few. Rick is a huge advocate for volunteering stating that “it is remarkable the degree to which volunteers play a role in the whole fabric of the nation.”
Rick first became involved with the charity at the request of HOPE’s Coordinator Wendi Stevens who approached him with the view that his insights could help the organisation grow.
Rick knew Wendi through his position as Chair of The Community Foundation and part of his analysis was to recommend a new full-time Chief Executive role in the organisation. This was agreed and Rick was asked to oversee the interview process.
At the same time, he joined the Trustee Board and a little while later became Chair following the retirement of Michael Turnbull.
One of Rick’s favourite sayings about HOPE is that we ‘punch above our weight’ considering the size of the team and the substantial impact of the charity.
When asked about any highlights, two stood out. The Hope For Life appeal which raised £1.3 million for the expansion of the Hope Cancer Trials Centre and the 2022 fundraiser The Wild Atlantic Challenge, which took cyclists around the coast of southern Ireland.
Rick didn’t join the cyclists themselves but, with his wife Jo, did take HOPE patron Martin Johnson over to Ireland where Rick watched everyone in that rugby loving country try to talk to him.
With a smile on his face Rick said, “the riders rode 110 miles a day and every night I fell into bed absolutely shattered but all I had done was follow along in an automatic car!”
His feelings for HOPE are very warm but he said that when you hear the stories of those with cancer it still “makes you feel totally inadequate.”
While Rick would never say, we can say it for him. His leadership has been fantastic. His dedication to our governance has allowed the office team to thrive and we are incredibly thankful for his time as Chair.
We are privileged that Rick is continuing as President and staying involved with this special charity.
