Richard Raworth 9.2.1942 – 1.5.2025
It is with great sadness that we announce the recent death of Richard Raworth who was a wonderful supporter of the National Garden Scheme for many years as a Trustee, as a member of the London volunteer team and, with his wife Jenny, owner of the much admired garden at St George’s Road, St Margaret’s which they created together and opened for the National Garden Scheme for decades.
Having been Treasurer of the National Garden Scheme London team since 2005 Richard (always Ricky to his family and friends ) took over as the charity’s Hon Treasurer on the Board of Trustees in 2010 and continued until 2015. His commitment to the role ensured that the financial information available to the Trustees improved immeasurably during his term of office. He had honed his financial skills in an extremely successful business career, first as a finance director and then in private equity.
Richard and Jenny were married in 1966 and in 1973 they bought St George’s Road in St Margaret’s. Work started almost immediately on the creation of a large garden which would become a project which they set about with great passion and which constantly evolved with new features for nearly 50 years. Yews planted in the first years have grown into great arches, in summer there is an abundance of old-fashioned roses, clematis and other climbers and perennials and one of Richard’s last projects of which he was especially proud was a child-friendly bog garden and waterfall which he designed himself.
Richard and Jenny first opened to the garden for the National Garden Scheme in 1981 and over more than 40 years they raised more than £80,000. Their daughter Sophie remembers, “Opening the garden to the public in aid of the National Garden Scheme was a great annual event, a family occasion in which we all took part and Dad loved people coming in to walk around his pride and joy.”
Richard was a talented photographer and jazz bass player, but his lifelong passion was gardening and through this, supporting the National Garden Scheme. Penny Snell, the National Garden Scheme’s London County Organiser and Chair of the Trustees for most of Richard’s term as Hon Treasurer, who was a close friend says; “We will all miss Ricky so much, he was of the most passionate supporters the National Garden Scheme has ever had. His and Jenny’s fabulous garden was the first I ever took on as London County Organiser and it has remained one of my favourites ever since.”
