Celebrating 40 Years of Service

Written by Richard Boby

Friday 3 April 2026 marked 40-years of continued service for Richard Lee, a member of the Foundation’s Caretaking Team. Originally employed as a Groundsman, the on-file copy of Richard’s offer letter was sent by the then Bursar, Mr P C Feather, and looks like it’s been produced on tracing paper! The original start date was 7 April 1986, later changed on his letter to 3 April by hand.

Prior to joining LSF, Richard worked as a Gardener/Handyperson for a community care project, maintaining gardens whilst attending Loughborough College on a Horticultural Course. In his spare time, he worked on his allotment and private gardening jobs.

Richard recalls being incredibly nervous and reserved when he first started, due to being much younger than the existing Grounds team. These nerves were short-lived and he came out of his shell during the Football World Cup in Mexico that commenced only a few weeks after he started.

In 1988, Richard started a ‘Phase I Horticulture’ day-release course at Brooksby Agricultural College and then moved onto ‘Phase II – Groundsmanship and Sports Turf Management and Amenity Horticulture’, which he completed in 1990. Richard started prior to the existence of Quorn Sports Fields, working initially at the old ‘Ten Acre’ sports ground. He remembers when we first took on Quorn as pastureland to develop into a sports field, along with the build of the pavilion and residential accommodation. He quickly became known for his dedication in the preparation of Cricket pitches.

“It was during his time as Groundsman looking after the 1st XI wicket (and the two junior squares) for 13 years, when I was Director of Cricket, that I got to know him best. What I need to stress was the excellence of the wickets he produced. At the start of each season I had a ‘warm up’ game against the County 2nd XI but, after the first year we played that, in every subsequent year the County side suddenly started sending a side with about half of the first team. After this occurred, I enquired why…to which the reply was that ‘this was the best wicket possible for pre-season practice and is wasted on our 2nd XI’! When we played the MCC their side used to contain most of the Derbyshire 1st XI as they loved playing on the wickets Richard produced.” – John Weitzel, Archivist.

Further memories shared by John include the weekly routine of walking around the recently developed Quorn Playing Fields with Richard, carrying buckets and filling them with stones and once driving his car onto the field to use the headlights as illumination in fading daylight hours whilst Richard finished off the pitch preparation.

A fond memory Richard has from his days of preparing the Cricket pitches was when Johnnie Johnson, famed WWII fighter pilot and LGS alumni, took a photograph after he had just prepared the wicket.

In 2008 Richard moved into the residential property at Quorn, where he continues to reside today. He talks of his love of the peace and tranquillity living at Quorn along with the enjoyment he gets from seeing the various wildlife, from multiple muntjac deer in the car park to a dozen herons gathering on the fields.

After 27 years of working as a Groundsman, Richard moved across to Caretaking at the Grammar School in 2013 and shortly afterwards attended a Pool Plant Operators Course to maintain the daily operating of the Swimming Pool.

Over the period of his employment Richard has seen much change across the Foundation. When he started, number 3 and 4 Burton Walks (Bursary and Friesland) had not been acquired by the Foundation and remained owner occupied. Across the Estate, he has witnessed new buildings and outdoor facilities replacing many of the lawns, as well as the development of the main car park from gardens and a hockey warm-up pitch.

He has many fond memories and has made many friends. He recalls royal visits, including the opening of Eadon Hall at Fairfield by Princess Anne. His highlight though was, undoubtedly, being ushered to stand front row in the Grammar Quad when the Queen opened Q-Block in 1996. Of Richard’s more amusing memories, of which some are too inappropriate to mention, are:

• Mowing over the ankle of his Grounds colleague, where thankfully the boot took most of the impact
• Driving into the Grammar Quad having forgotten he was transporting a set of ladders widthways that instantly became curved when he hit both pillars on entry
• Dropping a piano down a set of stairs
• Inadvertently marking out opposite ends on two separate cricket pitches, rather than both ends of one
• Having lost count of the number of times he crashed a tractor

A celebratory event was organised by Richard’s friends at the Grammar School and took place in the Tower Café in March. A further Foundation event in recognition of his achievement is scheduled for late May. To reach the milestone of 40-years’ service is an incredible achievement, one that Richard should be highly proud of. As a Foundation, we are extremely grateful for his loyalty and years of continued dedicated service.

“Forty years of service, now that’s commitment! We’re not saying you started here before some of your colleagues were born… but, well, you know. Thank you for the hard work, the wisdom and the laughs along the way. And honestly, anyone who can support Notts County for that long clearly has the resilience, patience and coping skills needed to survive LSF too! Congratulations Richard, here’s to your legendary dedication and hopefully fewer last‑minute goals conceded.” – Jayne Hodges, Head of HR.

“To most staff at LGS Richard Lee is a helpful, genial and rather diminutive caretaker with a cheeky sense of humour. This description is entirely accurate, however, I have enjoyed several holidays with Richard and, as I have got to know him better, I have discovered his many additional talents. He has visited every cathedral in England and Wales and as such has an encyclopedic knowledge of them. He can identify the manufacturer of a passing tractor from any angle, and his enthusiasm for military aircraft frequently has me gasping in admiration. Above all Richard is a valued friend, a wonderful companion, and a enuinely kind man. I greatly value his comradeship, and I applaud his unwavering dedication to Loughborough Grammar School.” – Jeremy Parton, Head of Year 7 (LGS).