An extraordinary and wonderful man

The late Duke of Richmond and Gordon with his wife the Duchess

It is with great sorrow that we have heard the news that His Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon died on 1st September, after a short illness.

Sussex Community Foundation was founded by The Duke in 2006 and he was our first chairman. He was an extraordinary and wonderful man.

I first met him when I was interviewed to become the new Foundation’s first chief executive. I must admit to feeling a slightly daunted by being interviewed in the tower of Goodwood House and had never met a duke before. His Grace immediately put me at ease and I was impressed by his understanding of the local community and commitment to helping disadvantaged people and communities. At the same time, he made it very clear that he had high expectations of the charity. Before long, he had set us a target of raising £10 million in endowment for Sussex within ten years. For a while, this seemed an impossible target but, with his help, we did achieve it.