Legendary Leeds Cares volunteer retires after 50 years fundraising over £200,000 for Leeds hospitals

An 85-year-old Leeds fundraising legend has raised a six-figure sum for Leeds Teaching Hospitals in his five decades spent volunteering for hospital charity Leeds Cares
Terry with his proud daughter April (photo: Leeds Cares)Terry with his proud daughter April (photo: Leeds Cares)
Terry with his proud daughter April (photo: Leeds Cares)

After starting his volunteering half a century ago, Terry Roberts has raised over £200,000 for Leeds hospitals through his weekly Leeds General Infirmary stall and supermarket bucket collections.

Since 1970, Terry has been a ‘much-loved’ figure in the hospitals, being easily spotted thanks to his trademark Wild West outfits.

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Terry’s Shakespearean quotes will also be missed as he hangs up his hat to move closer to his daughter April in Beverly.

Terry said: “I am often the first person patients and visitors see when they come to the hospital, so it’s important to make a good first impression and often people come back into hospital many years after I first meet them.

“A lady once introduced me to her daughter who’d undergone a liver transplant as a baby 10 years ago and she said ‘I bet you don’t remember us!’ but I did, and I was astonished it had been 10 years.

“I feel that raising money for the hospital is what I was put on this earth to do”.

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After Terry’s wife sadly passed away from liver cancer in 1993, he spotted an opportunity to fundraise for Leeds Cancer Centre which followed his time with the Donkey Sanctuary, Wheatfields Hospice and St Gemma’s Hospice.

Terry said his love for fundraising came from seeing the difference it makes to people’s lives.

Leeds Cares is the charity for Leeds Teaching Hospitals by raising funds for equipment, services, education and research.

The Head of Community Fundraising at Leeds Cares, Sharon Link, said: “It’s been such a pleasure working with Terry over the years as he is such a selfless person giving so much of his time to volunteer.

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“Charities rely on the support of volunteers such as Terry and Leeds Cares is always looking for new volunteers to help raise funds for Leeds Teaching Hospitals.”

The Leeds Cares volunteering team can be contacted by telephone on 0113 539 7020 or by email at [email protected].

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