Rachel Morris: founder of the Friends of Derby 500 Club

If you can dream it, you can do it

This Voice of Derbyshire is a woman who seems to know anyone who’s anyone in Derby.

We meet at Morley Hayes golf club, a place special to her not only because she lives close by, but because she tries to start each day here with a sunrise walk.

If you look up Rachel Morris, you’ll see someone who clearly wants to make a difference.

CEO at the charity SV2, which supports victims of sexual violence, Rachel is also the founder of the Friends of Derby 500 Club, which raises £500 per week to give to someone in need and she has worked in the charity sector for many years.

It soon becomes clear the idea of caring is a thread which runs through her career and family, while her roots in the city and love of sport have clearly informed her choices too.

Indeed, schoolgirl Rachel King was always sporty.

Rachel Morris (front row 2nd from right) at Derby Swimming Club in 1975 Photo: Rachel Morris ‘I swam for the City of Derby up to a national level,’ Rachel tells me. ‘I did other sports too like long distance running and have always been proud to represent my city and county.’

Her childhood was in Allenton, Derby, and she grew up with the sound of hearing the test beds at nearby Rolls-Royce.

In her career classes at Noel Baker School, Rachel soon made the sporty link and wanted to be a physiotherapist for a football club. Sadly, she didn’t do as well as hoped in her A-Levels and decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps, training to be an occupational therapist.

The caring line can be seen through her dad too, as he and his brother owned King Cycles in Allenton.

‘My dad would let a 16-year-old come in the shop and buy a bike and pay it off for £1 a week, interest free, in order to be able to own a bike,’ Rachel recalls, beaming with pride. ‘Lots of people have those fond memories like that of my dad.’

In fact, Rachel’s grandmother started that business and became the trustee of the Allenton Traders Association. Rachel saw her as ‘the original independent woman, she was widowed when my dad was just five and she independently forged a good life for her sons.’

I wonder if her dad’s generous pound-a-week idea is where Rachel’s idea for the 500 Club came from?

‘It isn’t,’ Rachel tells me, ‘but, interestingly, once I’d set it up a chap from Allenton said he was going to join the 500 Club, because that’s what he used to pay to my dad for his bike and he wanted to give back now’ recalls Rachel emotionally.

The Friends of Derby 500 Club was set up to help any family or individual across Derby and Derbyshire struggling to pay for what many of us take for granted. The group of 500 members seeks nothing but to help people in need in the city they love.

Derby is a city Rachel shares a tremendous bond with Photo: Ashley Franklin To date, they have given away over £65,000 and that help has included a young family who lost everything in a house fire; a working dad knocked off his moped and unable to claim sick pay; and a single parent struggling to stay warm after a gas leak.

This is one of the many brilliant, difference-making projects Rachel has been influential in since returning to Derby. But let’s go back to her education.

Rachel moved away to pursue her studies in occupational therapy but, not long after, her parents’ marriage broke down. She was coming back to Derby most weekends to be with her dad and younger sister and then met her husband-to-be, so lost her focus and dropped out of university.

Rachel and her husband then moved to London and worked in the licensed trade managing bars, hotels and restaurants.

‘We moved between 12 towns in 15 years,’ Rachel remembers, ‘but eventually we moved back to Derby as I wanted my children to call it home and have the same feelings for the city as I have.’

Not long after, Rachel realised her marriage was on the rocks and at this time was offered redundancy.

Rachel loves spending time with her family Photo: Rachel Morris

Her determination to be an independent single mum, no doubt molded by her grandmother, meant Rachel needed a career which gave her more time with her children, so she moved into the charity sector.

Rachel soon realised the caring line in her family had rubbed off on her too as she wanted to be ‘in the business of helping people.’ This has subsequently included working with the YMCA and her current role as CEO of SV2.

‘The work we do is amazing,’ says Rachel, lighting up as she talks about the charity. ‘We supported 4,500 people last year who were victims of sexual violence, from the youngest aged three to the oldest, aged 83.’

The statistics truly are frightening.

‘One in six children have been sexually abused,’ says Rachel. ‘One in eight women aged sixteen-plus and one in 18 men have been sexually abused. That’s just in England and Wales.’

Rachel is keen to point out they support men as well as women, as male victims are not talked about as much.

‘There’s a dreadful shame and stigma around these cases,’ Rachel tells me. ‘There absolutely shouldn’t be. We need to keep talking about that, because the perpetrators should be feeling shame, not the victims.’

On average in Derbyshire last year there were 353 reports of rape or sexual abuse made to the police every month. Each of these is referred to SV2.

Not all come forward, but SV2 averages around 220 referrals every month and Rachel is certain high profile cases and the #MeToo movement has given people more confidence to come forward and report it.

‘If anyone reading wants our help, it’s SV2.org.uk and it’s a very simple process online, so please get in touch.’

The role of CEO for such an important charity would be enough for most people, but not Rachel Morris, who wears many hats – no doubt, again, a trait adopted from her grandmother.

She is a non-executive member of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club Board and a trustee at Derby County Community Trust.

‘It embraces all the things I love,’ explains Rachel. ‘Sport, football, along with wellbeing and social inequalities. I love what we do at the Trust.’

There was a time Rachel was, as she describes, a ‘digs mum’ for Derby County Football Club. At the time, it was just Rachel and her daughter at home and she heard about the programme.

Rachel would offer her home as a footballer’s home and teach them independent living. She remembers fondly one player describing himself as Rachel’s ‘favourite child’ – that player was Alefe Santos.

‘It was an honour to look after these massive assets to the club,’ she tells me. ‘I’d tell their parents to contact me anytime because I recognised I was looking after their most treasured possession.’

Through being a ‘digs mum’, Rachel saw a different side to being a footballer.

‘Some of the players, especially overseas players, were very vulnerable,’ she reveals. ‘They earned decent money but had too much time on their hands away from home, so it was mentally challenging.’

So, what does Derby and Derbyshire mean to Rachel Morris?

Interestingly, she mentions the iconic landmarks of our brilliant city: Railway; Rolls Royce; Derby Cathedral; the cricket and football clubs – and it turns out she’s worked with most of them!

Rachel (left) with her fellow Lord Lieutenants Photo: Mark Averill A huge honour for this true Derby devotee is that she has recently been appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Derbyshire.

The privilege to represent her county and the Royal Family is not lost on her – ‘Quite apt as I used to be Rachel King!’.

The prestigious role is unpaid, but provides the honour of representing Derbyshire, having the title bestowed on you, and being part of decisions such as which local people and businesses receive MBEs, OBEs and King’s Awards.

‘For me, that honour was never on my horizon or something I thought Rachel King from Allenton would ever do!’ she says.

So, is there a special ceremony? Does she get knighted or similar by King Charles?

‘The King had to not disapprove of me,’ she laughs. The fact King Charles is aware of this Allenton lass and has approved Rachel Morris as Deputy Lieutenant of her home county is really something.

‘I’m the person I am because I grew up in Derby,’ Rachel tells me proudly. ‘It’s given me my working class roots, my strength to help people who need a helping hand and the drive to create a level playing field for people.

‘I love that I have come full circle. My first bar job was at Derbyshire County Cricket Club and now I’m a non-executive board member. I often chat to the bar staff and tell them that’s where I started and tell them anything is possible.

‘Maybe that’s what Derby has given me – If you can dream it, you can do it!’

You can hear more from Rachel on Sally’s Truly Madly Derby podcast.