All of us at Samling were saddened to learn of the death on 24 April of Roger McKechnie who founded the charity with Karon Wright 30 years ago.
Roger was born in Darlington and was a serial entrepreneur driven by a belief in the power of creativity to transform lives and businesses and demanded nothing less than the highest possible quality in everything he touched. Following a degree from Newcastle University he had a successful business career in marketing and at the age of 40 he decided to take charge of his own destiny and started up, developed and then sold the upmarket, innovative Phileas Fogg snacks company.
After Phileas Fogg he established The Samling at Dovenest as a totally different boutique hideaway hotel in the Lake District and alongside the hotel he was instrumental with Karon in starting The Samling Foundation to encourage highly talented young artists at the start of their careers.
Karon said: ‘Roger was a one off – whacky, challenging in all the best ways, kind, generous, clever and a whole of lot of fun to be with. He always focused on the positives and he surprised me countless times and I learned a huge amount about life from him. His family was everything to him and they would all gather for many years at Dilston House for our annual fundraising garden party which he and his wife Eileen so generously hosted and the sun always shone. We will miss him.’
