Sutton library assistant retires after 50 years of service to borough

Richard Radford (centre) with Wallington Library staff at a presentation in Civic Offices to mark his retirement after 50 years of work for Sutton’s library service.

A Sutton library assistant is retiring at the end of this month following 50 years of unstinting service to the borough.

Richard Radford, 70, is retiring on 29 April, just over 50 years since starting work for the borough’s library service.

Born at St Helier Hospital in 1945, Richard has lived in Sutton all of his life. Currently a library assistant at Wallington Library, where he has worked since 1998, he began his career with the borough’s library service at Carshalton on 12 April 1966 and was there for a year until 1967, when he left for two years to attend library school in Brighton.

After completing his studies, Richard returned to Carshalton library, where he worked from 1970 to 1979. He worked on the mobile library until 1983 then moved to Sutton Central Library’s Music and Arts department for 15 years before starting at Wallington Library.

In 2009 Richard received the Community Engagement Champion Award for his services to the library’s Coffee Concerts, which he has organised and run since 2011.

Richard said:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working in Sutton libraries. Fifty years is a long time to work in this profession, and I must say that I have found the last 30 years particularly rewarding, from working in the music library in Sutton for 14 years and then moving to Wallington library in 1998 where I got settled in to a busy library with plenty to do. It has given me great pleasure to work on the Coffee Concert classical CD recitals in Wallington Library. Although I am retiring I shall continue to run the concerts there. Working in Sutton libraries has been very enjoyable and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

To mark Richard’s retirement, Sutton Council Chief Executive Niall Bolger presented him with a certificate at a ceremony in Sutton Civic Offices on Monday 25 April.

Niall said:

“Richard’s 50 years working for Sutton’s library service is a tremendous achievement and we would like to thank him for the immense contribution he has made to the borough’s library service over these years. Richard has been a valued member of staff for many years and I know he will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues as he has always been a great source of support and a fount of knowledge and advice.”

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