An Awe-Inspiring, Active Life With A Wealth Of Memories Made

Richard Lake’s smile is unmistakable. As is the sparkle in his eye when he reminisces about the things he’s achieved in his life. When you take a look around his home, you can see that same winning sparkle and smile shining out from pictures of the many Ironman competitions, sailing challenges and Marathons he’s taken part in in his life. The places he’s been, the people he’s met and the things he’s achieved are all proudly on display - and to call it inspiring would be an understatement.

The pictures depict a man in the very peak of strength, fitness and health and now, despite being bed-bound, following a devastating stroke and struggling with speech and mobility, that unmistakable sparkle and smile returns when he talks about the past that he’s shared with his wife, Ann, and the years before they met.

As home care providers who support Richard and Ann at their home in Chichester, the Sussex Grange team had the pleasure of spending some time with the couple recently and hearing a bit more about a life that began 88 years ago in Walton-on-Thames. 

Setting The Culinary World On Fire

Ask Richard what he did after he left Tin School, he’ll tell you that he became a reprobate. We don’t believe a word of it.

In reality, Richard left school and joined a catering college in Portsmouth in 1955, which led to him training as a chef in restaurants in Paris. On his return to England, he became a chef at the Ritz Hotel in London (his experience of working in Parisian restaurants helped him to form a good relationship with the French Head Chef there at the time). In addition, he went on to hone his culinary skills in other famous restaurants, such as The Savoy Hotel in Folkestone and the Grand Hotel in Brighton. 

After completing his National Service as a Squadron Leader in the RAF and returning to cheffing briefly, Richard then became a practitioner of the sewing needle club and a salesperson for the Singer Sewing Machine company. 

In addition, there’s also a casual mention of being a driver for the wife and children of a friend of his, who just so happened to be Sir Laurence Olivier...

A True Sporting Hero

It’s when Richard talks about how active he’s been for his whole life that your jaw really hits the floor. His home is bursting at the seams with the evidence, but hearing it from the man himself makes it all the more impressive.

Richard began learning to sail when his father took him across the Thames in a three-man rubber boat - from there, the love of open water grew. 

He decided that he would build a sailing boat of his own and made a Fleetwind sailing dinghy which led to much success as a local sailing champion. As time went on, his dad became the Commodore at the Felpham Sailing Club near Bognor Regis. 

Richard remembers that one day a couple of young chaps dropped by to learn how to sail and his dad said he would teach them himself…. One of those young lads turned out to be Iain Macdonald-Smith MBE, who went on to compete at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and win a gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class with Rodney Pattison.

A natural seaman, Richard enjoyed life above and below the surface, becoming a deep sea diver at locations all over the world - from Selsey Bill to Mauritius. And, in addition to sailing and diving, he swam in the sea every day of the year, until, of course, he was no longer able to. 

At the age of 53, Richard started doing marathons including the London Marathon and New York City Marathon. His best ever time was a whopping 3hrs and 13mins at the London Marathon in 1992.  Then of course, there were the Ironman competitions. 

Richard qualified three times to represent Great Britain in the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii and carried on with a high level of fitness right into his eighties. 

In the latter part of his career, Richard became a personal trainer. In fact, he was still teaching spinning classes at the Westgate Leisure Centre in Chichester when sadly he had a stroke in November 2020 at the age of 82. 

Of course, despite his declining health it hasn’t stopped him from making the most of life… 

Love To Last The Test Of Time

In the 23 years that Ann and Richard have been together they have competed in running, swimming and cycling competitions together. They have also travelled the globe and to this day they still leave each other love notes on a regular basis. The love that Richard and Ann have for each other is as unmistakable as Richard’s sparkle.

After meeting at a yoga class back in 2003 Richard and Ann married four years ago in a beautiful ceremony at Edes House in Chichester. 

Now, as his main carer, Ann is nearly always by Richard’s side. When she is at work, we are proud to support them with our home care services and offer companionship and support as and when it’s required. 

Over the years they have become a much loved member of the Sussex Grange family and we feel truly honoured to have been able to learn more about some of the people behind the services we provide. Here’s wishing them all the very best for their future together.