The charity sector has paid tribute to Colin Rochester, who died on 16 February 2023.

Rochester was born in 1942, and was an academic, teacher, practitioner, mentor, colleague, editor, author and thought leader.

He helped establish and maintain key research institutions such as the Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector (ARVAC) in 1978, the Voluntary Action History Society (VAHS) in 1991, the Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) in 1996 and the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) in 1997.

A joint statement from the organisations reads: “In each of these organisations he collaborated convivially, leading with kindness and offering critical thought, bringing up the next generation of researchers and practitioners.”
 
Rochester  was head of Cambridge House and Talbot Settlement in London from 1978 to 1987, a lecturer at LSE from 1987 to 2000 and later led a course at Roehampton University from 1999 to 2007.

He was also honorary academic advisor to IVR from 2007 to 2012 and was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership of ARVAC in 2021. Since 2018 he had been an Honorary Research Fellow with the Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent.
 
To honour his memory the four institutions he helped to establish plan to jointly organise a memorial seminar later on in the year.

A padlet page has also been set up for anyone who would like to share their reflections and memories. The page will stay open for a week, at which point it will be to Rochester’s family.