Richard Taylor

Richard qualified as a CIPFA accountant in 1975, shortly after his move from Warwickshire, his home county council, to take up a position in the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. He stayed there for 8 years as Group Accountant and then Management Accountant, before moving to Langbaurgh Council on Teesside as Assistant Borough Treasurer. With responsibility for Exchequer functions, he had a wide brief over rate and income collection, housing benefits, payroll and various administration functions. 1991 saw Richard move back to Tyneside as Financial Services Manager for Northumbrian Water, where he remained in various roles, latterly Audit, for 20 years.

He retired in 1991 and one of the first things he did after that was to apply for a volunteer role at St Oswald’s. He has loved his Friday work since then. Mainly this has been as a Volunteer Minibus Driver, bringing patients in for day treatment, taking them to the hospitals for X-Rays or on trips out, picking up collection boxes and delivering medical garments. With limited minibus activity at present, Richard is now working at the Hospice’s shop on Gosforth High Street.

Away from work, Richard has become closely involved with junior badminton in the county, carrying out much of the behind-the-scenes administration work, acting as team manager and running tournaments on the Badminton England National Junior Circuit. He is a member of the management committee of Northumberland Badminton Association and Chairman of the Business Sub-Committee. Any spare time is taken up with his regular cycling group or on his allotment.