30th July 30 1916 – 6th January 2024
All Aboard Charity Shops are sad to announce the passing of our passionate and tenacious founder – Stella Lucas MBE – aged 107.
Growing up in Hackney, Stella started volunteering aged 14 by helping people at the Stepney Settlement which looked after old people and as well as helping deliver the Meals on Wheels scheme. She married her beloved husband Victor in 1938 and they continued volunteering their time with community projects in the areas in which they were both passionate – cricket, community building and Jewish philanthropy.
Growing up in Hackney, Stella started volunteering aged 14 by helping people at the Stepney Settlement which looked after old people and as well as helping deliver the Meals on Wheels scheme. She married her beloved husband Victor in 1938 and they continued volunteering their time with community projects in the areas in which they were both passionate – cricket, community building and Jewish philanthropy.
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During her husband’s tenure as president of the United Synagogue, Stella volunteered as convenor of the Board of Deputies central enquiry desk in the mid-1980’s when she noticed the hundreds of requests she had for people wanting to donate unwanted clothes. Aware that she had nowhere to signpost callers, Stella had a lightbulb moment, with the idea to recreate the concept of the Oxfam charity shop with the profits being ploughed back into local community projects.
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Stella launched the first ‘All Aboard for Charity’ shop aged 70 with three friends, volunteers Monique Landau, Trudie Reiss and Jeffrey Pinnick. A kind friend loaned Stella the money for the first rent, which she repaid in just two weeks. She called on her wide network and quickly had pulled together loads of donated goods to sell in the shop. These premises were located where the O2 centre is now on Finchley Road, initially raising funds for charities including Jewish Care, AJEX and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
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The charity’s name itself reinforces Stella’s belief in community spirit. Not only is it a rallying call to acts of charity, but also has a reference to one of its earliest supporters. The Board of Deputies of British Jews agreed to stand surety at the bank if she needed a loan and in a sign of solidarity and the importance of cross-communal partnership, and so are subtly credited in the ‘All Aboard’ moniker.
In recognition of her many years of voluntary service to the endless community projects she supported, Stella was awarded an MBE for services to the Jewish community in London in 2003.
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As the new millennium took hold, so too did All Aboard Charity Shops, growing to 16 shops in 2010 when the charity relocated its offices to Edgware High Street. This was a momentous time for both All Aboard and Stella – so much so that the building was named Stella Lucas House in her honour to mark her 94th birthday. Under Stella’s leadership, All Aboard grew even bigger, moving to a new warehouse, distribution centre and central office in North Watford in 2016 and Stella Lucas House was relocated here too.
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Having relentlessly led the charity for over 30 years and still attending board meetings into her hundredth year, Stella stood down as a trustee and Director of All Aboard Charity Shops in 2017. Despite this, she remained a friend, keeping informed through the various staff and friends who continue to actively support the charity today as donors, volunteers and customers.