Raphael Hospital

History

The Raphael Ryder Cheshire International Centre was established in April 1959 by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire a British air force officer and his wife Lady Sue Ryder Both are renowned all over the world for their unique humanitarian activities

After a distinguished career with the Royal Air Force Lord Cheshire retired after WW2 In 1948 he set up the first Cheshire Home for the physically challenged Many more were to follow and today the Leonard Cheshire Foundation operates over 170 homes in 34 countries caring for the physically and mentally challenged without any restriction of age sex race or religion

Lady Ryder served with the Special Operations Organisation during WW2 and experienced firsthand the suffering of men and women during the war Immediately after the war she launched herself into relief work among the millions of sick homeless and destitute people all over Europe She set up the Sue Ryder Trust which supported a number of homes providing full facilities to terminal cases Later her concern for those in need took her to other parts of the world where poverty and disease were just as real

In 1959 Lord Cheshire and Lady Ryder married and set up the Ryder Cheshire Foundation Together they carried out their humanitarian work all over the world and in 1975 were jointly named by the International Variety Club as Humanitarians of the Year

Just before his death in 1992 Lord Cheshire suffering from Motor Neuron disease and confined to a wheelchair made one last visit to India A quote from his letter just before the trip

quotMy one great wish while I am still able to do it is to revisit my beloved India where everything started internationally and to find myself once again with the residents staff committee and some of the other helpers both in Delhi and Dehra Dun But I think I can honestly say that Raphael will be the highlight of that particular visitquot