Vice-Chairman of the Trust

Dick began dinghy sailing on a reservoir in the moors, at Bolton sailing club firstly in cadets then moving on to merlin rockets and GP14s. Sailing then took a back seat as he started a career and a family.  He returned to sailing when the headmaster at his daughter’s school asked if he would help out with sailing at a school outward bound course.  Shortly after, he took a holiday aboard a fine replica of an old sailing yacht on the Norfolk Broads.  This ignited the enthusiasm within the family and they joined the Budworth sailing club and as a family spent many happy weekends dingy racing.

He was first introduced to keel boat sailing when during his student holidays when he took a job help deliver a catamaran to the South of France.  The professional skipper left the boat early in the trip and the owner asked him and his nephew (of a similar age) to continue the journey.  They safely arrived in Montpelier at the end of the summer after a few adventures.

A few years later he took 6 months off work and sailed in what was probably the first ARC (Atlantic Rally Club) race across the Atlantic.  After a few months working in a hospital in St Lucia he sailed home via the Azores.  More recently he has been fortunate to participate in the Fastnet race the Caribbean 600 and the two handed race to the Azores.

He continues to race keel boats on the Mersey and enjoy the occasional cruising on the South coast, East coast and the West coast of Scotland.  Sailing has brought him so many experiences and great friendships. It is for this reason that he is committed with the Guillemot Trust to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to experience life on a boat.  He firmly believes that sharing nature, weather and the delights of the sea with friends on a boat can enrich all our lives.  It does not matter whether on a big boat or a small boat, the same magic is still there.

Within the Trust, Dick takes a lead on fund raising and networking, supporting the Chairman in those activities.  He was appointed to the Board of Trustees in October 2023.

Professionally Dick is Consultant in Clinical Oncology at the Christie Hospital and Manchester Academic Health Science Professor of Clinical Oncology within the Institute of Cancer Sciences/Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester.