Loughborough & North Leicestershire CAMRA

Richard (The Colonel) Sanders was the first chairman of the Loughborough branch of CAMRA. The first meeting was held on 14th November 1974 at the Griffin in Ashby Square, and the first committee meeting held soon after at the Peacock. Richard was chairman at this meeting.

Richard soon became involved in CAMRA at a national level, and worked with many of the original founding members. He was still active with the local CAMRA branch until his death, being the Brewery Liaison Officer for the local Charnwood Brewery.

Memories have been supplied to us by his cousin Jayne Murphy, Bill Noblett and Chris Holmes:

Richard by Jayne

‘Our’ Richard as the family affectionately knew him will be remembered fondly by his Auntie Jill (my mum) and his cousins and although we didn’t all live in the area we still all kept in touch. The last time we were all together was in July 2023 in happier circumstances to celebrate mum's 90th birthday

Richard was certainly a character. You couldn’t really miss him given his height and his tendency to embrace a range of colours in one outfit. Mum and I called him the Michael Portillo of Loughborough

I grew up on Knighthorpe Road just around the corner from Deane Street. Richard and I played together as children. As we got older, we went to see Forest play on Saturday afternoons home and away if we could. Richard did take me to a couple of Test matches at Trent Bridge but I never got the cricket bug like he did. 

Life then intervened and I moved to London but Richard stayed close to mum and my late father in Kegworth. In the last few years though, mum and I enjoyed lunch out with him every couple of months when I came up to visit. He would stride across the car park "Hello Aunt" "Hello Cousin".

Richard was a man of many diverse talents and interests as you all know. 

We shared an interest in history in a general sense but also the history of the family and he sent me details of relatives who were involved in WW1. 

What Richard did not know about Loughborough was not worth knowing. If any of you have a copy of "Loughborough the Millennium Story" gathering dust on your bookshelves have a look when you get home at Chapter 8, Licensed Trade, written by Richard Sanders. He recommends the Swan in the Rushes which is good news as we are holding his wake there. 

It wasn’t just Loughborough though; wherever you were going Richard knew somewhere to stay somewhere to eat and drink. A one-man Google search engine, and when I was thinking about what to say today I suddenly remembered the little pocket diaries I used to get him from the RNLI shop in Eastbourne, with the small pencil down the spine. There was Richard, a larger-than-life character with probably one of the smallest diaries you can buy full of his musings on life, things to do and so on. The little pencil was crucial. So a Google search engine and his recommendations were better than an Trip advisor ones.

Richard as you all probably knew wrote to the newspapers about a range of issues. Many a time when the Echo came out mum used to call to say our Richard's got a letter in the Echo again. 

However, he also took pen to paper to the Daily Telegraph, and I would like to read you a letter that was published in August 2023. As I read it, I hope you feel that it captures the essence of Richard and what he meant to us all as we remember him today

Sir - I was recently in a pub in Leicester where I had a crusty cob filled with good wedges of strong cheddar and onion, washed down with a pint of local beer. Perfection.

Richard Sanders Loughborough Leicestershire

RICHARD SANDERS by Bill Noblett

I first met Richard Sanders in about 1976. I was Secretary of the Cambridge Branch of CAMRA and was attending an early regional meeting in Loughborough. I was immediately drawn to Richard. He was an imposing, very tall, man, who always, I subsequently learnt, dressed very colourfully, and his booming accent reminded me of growing up in Leicester. We chatted and the next time we met – I can’t remember where it was – it became clear that we had a lot in common.

On the surface, it seemed an unlikely friendship between a Cambridge academic librarian and a Brush metal worker, but apart from ale we shared many interests. We both supported the Leicester Tigers, both had an interest in football, and both enjoyed steam railways. And over many years my wife and I spent many happy Saturdays with him watching the cricket at Trent Bridge. And it was through Richard that I kept in touch with the so called ‘CAMRA Pioneers’.

On the second time I met him, I asked Richard if he would like to come to stay with us for a few days to help out at the Cambridge Beer Festival. He agreed and worked at two or three subsequent events when he got to know most of the members of the Cambridge branch. He subsequently stayed with us in Cambridge on many occasions, often on the way to visit an aunt in Suffolk. He was an enthusiastic visitor, and we explored East Anglia together. I showed him Ely Cathedral – which he greatly admired – and on a day trip to Bury St Edmunds we looked at the ruins of the Abbey and had a pint in the Nutshell, said to be England’s smallest pub. On one occasion, we went on the guided bus to St Ives. It was market day and, this was so typical of Richard, he knew one of the stallholders, an egg man who also had a stall on Loughborough market!

He was a larger than life character and I will miss him.

RICHARD SANDERS by Chris Holmes

I first met Richard in 1974 at the inaugural meeting of the Loughborough CAMRA branch. He was the first chairman of the branch. He attacked the role with his usual enthusiasm and good nature. He also served on CAMRA’s National Executive.

He was always well-informed about everything to do with beer, breweries and pubs.

Over fifty years, what started as a CAMRA stimulated acquaintance grew into a great friendship. Richard was always a marvellous companion on research (drinking) trips in the UK and abroad. I didn’t have to do any planning as I knew Richard would already have found out about the best watering-holes.

He was always great company because he was interested in all sorts of things. He was a great sports fan. A member at Trent Bridge and a keen follower of Leicester Tigers and Nottingham Forest, he enjoyed all sorts. He initiated the CAMRA Old Soaks days at Trent Bridge where he managed to buy twenty four tickets so we could all sit together (members were only allowed to buy six tickets!).

He was a music lover and had great taste (i.e. similar to mine) and we went to many gigs together.

In short, Richard was interested in all sorts of things and he brought a sharp intelligence to his observations on things.

Most of all he was a great friend. You could trust him with your life and he would bend over backwards to help wherever he could. There wasn’t a bad bone in his body, hence his great popularity as ‘The Colonel’.

He will be sorely missed by me and many other people and the world will be a poorer place without him.