The following eulogy was written by Professor Christopher Wood (retired), Manchester University Environmental Planning Dept. 

Richard was born in the old Rectory in Hambleden, Hampshire, the home of his maternal grandfather. His parents were Stanley Harding, a successful, smartly-dressed accountant and talented sportsman, and Betty. His sister, Wendy, was born four years later. After the War Richard's father became Finance Director of Shell Brazil and the family moved to Rio.

Richard was sent to St Andrew’s Prep School in Eastbourne at the age of seven and was only able to return to Rio for part of his summer holiday, spending most exeats with relatives, Godparents and friends from school. He went on to Tonbridge School at 13, by which time his family had settled in Sutton. After a year in the lower sixth he went to Grenoble to polish his French, running out of money and having to return ignominiously on a moped. Richard's father insisted he trained to become a chartered accountant and he did his articles at Deloittes in London. He resented the time spent commuting and didn’t want to be one the bowler-hatted types who grumbled if he occupied ‘their’ seats so he got himself seconded to Sierra Leone for his last six months.

He qualified and went straight to Cranfield to become one of their youngest MBAs, then worked as a consultant for Cooper Brothers. One of his clients was a steel stockholders in Manchester and he became their Finance Director in 1969, the year he married Marianne. Richard's September stag party was apparently eventful. After having a boozy dinner in Battersea, he went off to a dicey strip club in Soho with his chums where he joined the strippers on the stage in red underpants. There were obviously repercussions because several of the ushers exhibited injuries at the wedding!

Richard’s next-door neighbour in Bowdon invited him to join investment bankers Chancery Trust as a main board director. Chancery was sold to merchant bankers Arbuthnot Latham in 1976. Annabel arrived in 1973 and Andy in 1975. Richard stayed with Arbuthnot for three years before joining sausage makers Slaters Food Products as Finance Director, overseeing its flotation and selling his shares when it was taken over. He then became chairman of Bainbridge Engineering which he acquired for a pound, turned around and sold. Next, he was chairman and controlling shareholder of Metz International, importing vast quantities of plimsoles and stripping out surplus costs. He had a brief involvement (and late night dance) at the Hacienda Nightclub, and some failures (including the impulsive purchase of a container of frozen tiger prawns in Thailand which he couldn’t sell on). Nothing daunted him: he was the very model of a modern venture capitalist.

In 1992 he met Judith and moved to Mallorca where they built a beautiful traditional farmhouse. He concentrated on the development of Judith’s antiques business but had other involvements, including golf course design. Seldom smartly-dressed (he hated to waste money), he was once mistaken as an antiques delivery driver and tipped, to his amusement.

In 2002 he was invited to acquire control of Channel Island Products which supplied plants to its sister company, Four Oaks Nursery, to be grown on. In the early years he wanted to return the business from receivership to profitability and extricate himself as quickly as he had so often previously. This proved impossible and Richard, who never admitted defeat, was involved at Four Oaks far longer than in any other business, frequently flying over from Mallorca.

Meanwhile he and Judith, while on holiday in India, discovered a supplier and started to import antiques for Judith’s business. Soon, container loads of Indian goods were being shipped to Mallorca and Four Oaks. Eventually Richard sold the Guernsey enterprise, leaving acres of empty glasshouses in Cheshire. He used some to retail plants and Indian antiques and some he sub-let to other businesses (including an auctioneer). The long-established trade show grew ever more successful and the nursery now makes a profit too. Richard shared the ownership of Four Oaks with his colleagues and they will carry it on. His Indian antiques supplier said: “Richard was an incredibly warm and caring spirit. This very special man touched the hearts of so many.”

Richard’s robust health declined in 2017, when he had overdue heart surgery. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2019 and his characteristic certainty tragically soon dwindled to dependence. He returned to live at Four Oaks where Pat cared for him before her death. He was then looked after by Andy and his partner, Melinda, Wendy and her husband David and Annabel and finally, with the family’s heartfelt gratitude, by the exemplary professionals Maxine and Tanya, before dying of kidney failure.

Sport and recreation were an essential part of Richard’s life. He played hockey for Cheam but his best game was squash. Richard was fearless but he hated the journeys to Sutton Squash Club’s away fixtures. The 5-man team would all squeeze into a Ford Anglia which was driven at terrifying speed by James Hunt.

Richard played for Bowdon. In the early years he would rush off the train from London straight on to the court in tatty kit and often contrive a way of winning a match in five games which others might have lost. A large man, he had a commanding, some say obstructive, presence and it was amazing how often he had to re-tie his shoelaces at critical points. In later years he would ring one of the team captains from Mallorca and ask to be selected so he could continue his lengthy unbroken run of representing the club each year.

It was Richard’s generous gift which enabled the Club to construct a new bar linking the squash courts to the Clubhouse. When one team-mate’s food production business was in financial difficulties, Richard offered to purchase equipment from him for Slaters’ new factory. He was hired to manage the factory where he would frequently find Richard on the doorstep at 6:30 am! When another team-mate started a tree surgery business, Richard lent him the money to buy his first chipper. When another started his engineering consultancy, Richard taught his wife how to keep the books.

Richard was a member of Hale and Wilmslow Golf Clubs and played in Mallorca. His name is on the honours board at both clubs but his membership at Hale ended abruptly. Richard set out early one morning with his dog to play a few holes only to be confronted by a formidable lady member. She told him, in no uncertain terms, that the rules stated that no man should EVER play on Ladies’ Day and that taking a dog with him was a heinous crime and compounded his folly. An almighty row was followed by an admonitory letter from the Club Secretary. Richard immediately resigned but, good-humouredly, laughed about his over-reaction afterwards.

Richard played tennis in Surrey, at Bowdon and in Mallorca. He and Marianne generously hosted Bowdon’s spring supper party at their home on several occasions. Richard also used his considerable expertise in helping the club finance the renewal of the hard courts. He hosted numerous guests to play on the court he had built at his home though games were never the same after he proudly power-washed the surface only for it to undulate forever after.

Richard also played real tennis. He was a member of the Manchester Tennis and Racquets Club for many years and his name appears on the honours boards there. He often generously lent his property in Salford Quays to visiting players. He represented the Club in the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club’s Boomerang Cup in 1995 where the team were runners up. He and his partner won the handicap doubles event, Richard competing for EVERY point.

Richard was a good skier and volunteered as a guide for 40 years from the founding of the British Ski Club for the Disabled. A skier who had cerebral palsy said he was “really grateful for all Richard’s efforts with time and equipment trying to help him stay upright, and for inviting him and his family out to Mallorca for holidays.” Another said “I am so grateful for Richard letting me ski my way and ignoring speed controls! I’ll never forget the time I broke my leg in St Gervais and he came with me to the hospital and magically sorted everything.”

David describes how he and Richard competed at golf, tennis, squash and skiing. Seemingly, Richard was not a great bloke to share a hotel room with and, I quote, “he could never be described as neat and tidy, and when he managed his morning shower, the room usually ended up under six inches of water!”

Richard loved to take friends sailing on his elderly yacht in Mallorca. One will never forget being so sick in a gale on his maiden outing that he froze and couldn’t help Richard who had courageously balanced out to free the jib. Having finally motored back and moored the yacht, the tender ran out of fuel and he had to be rescued by Richard wobbling on a paddle board. On another occasion Richard almost drowned when he fell into the water and was trapped between the yacht and the quay but somehow used his huge strength to free himself. He eventually donated the boat to the yacht club.

Richard did a lot of walking. He climbed Mont Blanc and trekked in Bhutan where he was extremely generous to his guide. The Torrent de Pareis in Mallorca is a committing gorge walk. Richard did it three times, once in his thirties (taking three hours), once in his fifties and lastly in his late sixties. His party lost its way and, worryingly, took over nine hours to complete the walk, Richard having to be pulled out a pool when he cramped and to hide his modesty when his shredded shorts revealed his bare bottom. He revived after numerous beers and laughed the whole epic off.

Richard was hospitable, sociable and an inveterate raconteur. He would converse with anybody and was never afraid to ask frighteningly direct questions or to regale someone with an anecdote often commencing with “YOU’LL be interested in this…”. He wouldn’t hang around if he got tired or bored. He would sometimes leave guests at the dinner table and disappear to bed. Invited to a performance at the Royal Exchange, Richard nodded off then left at the interval.

He shared many holidays with friends. One family, having benefitted from Richard’s many patient wind-surfing lessons, witnessed him insist on ordering in Spanish only for eight huge platters (rather than portions) of fish to arrive. He laughed! When they found that their return flight had somehow departed without them they were told to stay in the villa for another week. They thankfully did so, finally having some rest after a fortnight’s non-stop activity.

Richard was extraordinarily generous. He used to say, when he was thanked for a donation or for his time, “I’ve been lucky in life” implying that it was only right that he should share his good fortune. He bought Pimlico flats when he sensed that the market was propitious and often lent one to friends. Dressed as scruffily as usual, his neighbour Denis Healey mistook him for a window-cleaner. Richard COULD look strikingly smart when he wanted to. He was handsomely suited for Andy’s wedding in humid Rio only for the effect to be ruined by perspiration when he just had to sweep up the leaves and litter around the church.

Richard was a lion of a man, though (unlike a lion) NEVER still. He was larger than life, a successful entrepreneur, a fiercely competitive sportsman, who drove himself to both work and play hard, confidently and bloody-mindedly finding a way to succeed, then generously helping others.

Three of Richard’s own business commandments sum him up:

You create your own luck

To succeed in business you don’t have to be bright. You need to graft and be disciplined

Live life to the fullest – look forward and never use the word ‘if’

Rest in peace, Richard LIONHEART

(HS 57-61)