Today, 21 January, marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of Paul Rice, a founding member and former Chair of Spirit of Shankly.

A decade on so much has changed but Paul, his presence, advice and wisdom continue to be missed by all, not least his family.

Without Paul, his passion, his leadership and his support, particularly for those on the committee and who followed as Chair, SOS would not be the organisation it is today. It is on the foundations he helped build that we have gone from the backroom of the Sandon to the launch of the ground-breaking Supporters Board. That would have delighted Paul, along with his beloved Liverpool FC back ‘on their perch’.

Paul’s drive to bring about positive change wasn’t confined to LFC. He wanted the best for Liverpool his city and its people. He worked to make that happen through his political activism and later as Chief Executive of the Liverpool Commercial District Partnership.

His selflessness, his regard for others are why Paul continues to be so missed and so fondly remembered. Tributes paid to Paul back in 2012 endure today, many missing the opportunity to pick up the phone or catch him at the match to hear his thoughts, pick his brains, seek his guidance.

But we don’t want just to remember Paul, we want to honour his legacy. One of his last wishes was to encourage people to give blood and to support the Anthony Nolan organisation. As a fitting tribute, we now encourage our supporters to do this and for those who are eligible, 16–30-year-olds, to sign up to the Anthony Nolan register, see below.

In the coming months, we plan to team up with others, who knew and worked with Paul, to organise fundraising activities and events to support charities in his name. His daughters, Janine and Louise, are starting with a sponsored walk, see below.

Paul’s memory lives on through his family, his work and those he helped along the way. We will do all we can to ensure that continues further.

RIP Paul Rice.

You can find out about giving blood here
You can sign up to the Anthony Nolan register in Paul’s name here

A message from Janine and Louise Rice

A lot of people think their dad is the best, but honestly, ours was. Whether it was advice about everything and anything, making us laugh, or a stern word when we weren’t behaving – he was always there for us. Dad was our hero and had such an influence on the people we have become today. 

We still can’t quite believe it’s been 10 years since he’s gone and that he wasn’t here to see us end the 30-year wait for the league! 

A lot of people knew him through work, through the match or socially. We always used to joke that you couldn’t make it down the street without Dad bumping into someone he knew and stopping to talk – we think that’s why he used to walk so fast. One thing that makes missing him a little bit easier is knowing he’s remembered so fondly by so many people – we often see things on social media or have people tell us stories of great times with him.

He taught us to love and be proud of the city we come from, it’s the reason we fell in love with its greatest football team. For that, we’ll always be grateful.

This May, in memory of Dad, we’re doing the Keswick 3 Peaks challenge – climbing three mountains around Derwent Water and Keswick.  When we were younger we’d spend school holidays in the lakes, particularly Keswick, walking and having a great time. This felt like the best way to honour Dad’s memory and raise money for a charity close to all of our hearts. 

If you can, we’d love you to sponsor us on our walk and raise some money for Anthony Nolan. If that’s not possible for you at the moment, please take a look at the Anthony Nolan website and consider becoming a donor, or donating blood and platelets through your local NHS donor centre– you could save a life.