Our Founder

Sue Ryder was an exceptional figure of the 20th Century, a woman who dedicated her life to the relief of suffering.

Her legacy lives on in the work of Sue Ryder Care and the services it provides for people living with Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington’s Disease, Brain Injury and Cancer across Britain, Europe and in southern Africa.

Born in Yorkshire in 1923, Sue Ryder served with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. SOE was established in 1940, to promote and co-ordinate resistance activity in German occupied Europe.

Her life’s mission became clear in the aftermath of the Second World War when she worked as a volunteer amongst displaced and stateless refugees on the continent of Europe. The first home opened by Sue Ryder was St Christopher's in Germany, designed as a haven for the people she met in Europe, many of whom were survivors of concentration camps.

The first home to be built by Sue Ryder was in Konstancin in Poland, followed by homes in England.

Today Sue Ryder Care still operates on the same principle of providing care where it is needed most. “Our work is a summons to seek out and face the reality of human suffering, and to do something about it.” Sue Ryder, 1953.

Sue Ryder was married for many years to war hero and fellow charity founder the late Leonard Cheshire VC, who died in 1992.

Lady Ryder was made a life peer in 1978 and was a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1975. She also received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1957.