THE centenary of the birth of Sue Ryder, who founded the hospice and care-home charity that also bears her name, has been celebrated in church services.
Lady Ryder was brought up as an Anglican before becoming a Roman Catholic; and her work was inspired by her Christian faith.
Robert Pestell, who chairs the trustees for the Sue Ryder Prayer Fellowship and is a former hospice chaplain at a Sue Ryder home, said: “In a life that was lived for others, she touched the lives of many individuals in need, each on this country and throughout the world, organising homes and projects that transformed many lives. The legacy of her work, inspired by her deep and lasting faith in God, continues today.”
A member of the Special Operations Executive throughout the Second World War, she was posted with the Polish unit to Tunisia, Algeria, and Italy. After the war, she continued in relief work, often working alone, supporting prisoners in Germany who were unable to return to their home countries owing to lack of paperwork. This work inspired the creation of her charity, which was originally called the Forgotten Allies Trust, and later became Sue Ryder.
The first care home opened at her mother’s house in Suffolk, initially for survivors of concentration camps, but, later, homes became hospices and neurological care centres. Internationally, many centres offer support for individuals with disabilities.
The Anglican religious Community of St Katharine of Alexandria gave Sue Ryder its house and grounds at Parmoor, now the headquarters of the Prayer Fellowship.
A service opening the anniversary celebrations was held at St Katharine’s, followed the subsequent day by a mass at Brompton Oratory, in London. Sir Nick Young, a former chief executive of the Red Cross, spoke of his 4 years working with Lady Ryder, and her “visionary zeal”. He quoted from Proverbs 29.18: “Where there isn’t any vision, the people perish”.
The Sue Ryder Memorial Trust has sponsored doctors through training, several of whom attended the celebrations.
Mr Pestell said: “The legacy of Sue Ryder does indeed continue to exist.”
