Out of Yorkshire’s darkest chapter emerges inspiration
THE NUMBER 44 has a deep significance for Richard McCann, the son of the Yorkshire Ripper’s first victim. It was in the 44th week of 1975 when his mother Wilma McCann was brutally murdered by the serial killer and when he and his sisters were told: “Your Mum has gone to heaven. You won’t be seeing her any more.”
Life, which had never been easy, became even harder and Richard went off the rails, serving time in prison for drugs offences. However he turned his life around and is now a motivational speaker who has delivered more than 2,100 presentations around the world, inspiring audiences with his story of overcoming adversity, and sharing his powerful iCan approach.
Last Monday, the 20th anniversary of his release from HMP Leeds, saw him on a train to the self-same city, doing a pop-up presentation on Facebook Live.
There was also an impromptu talk to strangers in a barber shop and a paywhat-you-can community cafe in inner city Leeds, all of which is a far-cry from his latterly formative years.
It was there that he was challenged by a follower to do 44 talks in 44 days. The following day he popped back into the Toast Love Coffee cafe in Harehills and got talking to the owner, who suggested he do a talk there. However, McCann has never been one for short measures and as the seed of the idea grew, he has now decided then to do 44 in one day.
The challenge will take place on August 3 and he is inviting Leeds businesses and local organisations within a reasonable distance to book the slots which run throughout the day as a simple way of motivating their employees.
“It’s a five-minute talk and the message is that we can overcome change with self belief. It’s amazing what an ‘I can’ mind set can do,” he said. “I have learnt that first hand and it is something that I am passionate about passing onto other people.”
So far 25 city centre businesses, including career advisors Aspireigen, Yorkshire Building Society and Lloyds Bank have signed up. Each are being asked to donate £44 to the cafe, while during the event itself Richard will be hoping to raise money for the Samaritans.
He hopes that with the money donated by businesses and his own fundraising efforts, by the end of the day he will be able to give a total of £4,444 to charity.
The father of three, whose fourth book Just A Man is out later this year, said: “I’ve always been drawn to the number. What was incredible to discover was the night that Mum died, Peter Sutcliffe went home to his mother-in-law’s at 44, Tanton Crescent.
“For me the number’s not a negative thing, it’s almost like a memorial to my Mum. I was moved by what they do at the cafe - they give meals to people who are struggling and ask them to pay what they feel like paying. It’s the kind of place my Mum would have gone as a child.”
He volunteered as a Samaritan for four years and recently stumbled across an alarming incident where a girl was threatening to self harm. He said: “They were there when I needed them back in 1994 after watching something shocking on TV that reminded me of what happened to my Mum. You don’t have to look very far for constant reminders that mental health is a massive problem.
“I’m much more at peace now. Life is hard juggling life and family, but it’s fantastic, not least because I have three wonderful children. What happened to my Mum gave me courage and I’m passing that onto my children and they are doing things I wouldn’t have dreamed of when I was a child.”
Richard is still looking for businesses to get involved. Visit his blog at www. richardmccann.co.uk/blog/ where there are also details of his Just Giving page.