Margaret Richards served as the Permanent Secretary of UCL’s Students’ Union for 23 years, supporting generations of student leaders and making a huge contribution to the organisation’s development.

I think that the vitality of what goes on in the non-academic life of the college is largely due to the initiative of students working through the Union.

Margaret Richards, UCL Film Soc newsreel 44 (1971)

Appointed Permanent Secretary in 1948, Margaret Richards joined the UCL Students’ Union as the university was still recovering from the devastation of the Second World War. Her guidance helped shape the organisation we know today; placing students at the centre of the decisions that affect them and providing them with the care and support they needed to thrive at university.  

Margaret was always active in student life. She was a founding member of the Oxford Women’s Union while studying there and travelled to Spain and Eastern Europe as a representative of the National Union of Students (NUS), witnessing firsthand the issues faced by international students. 

Margaret’s leadership at UCL was essential in the formal integration of male and female student bodies, in overseeing the Union’s move to 25 Gordon Street, in developing sports and leisure opportunities, in expanding student-run services, and in supporting the Union’s ground-breaking campaigning work. She was renowned for her work ethic, putting in long shifts, six days a week while always prioritising student needs.  

She wrote regularly in the student press, offering practical and thoughtful advice. For example, she encouraged students to travel, whilst reminding them to read, learn and understand the places they visited to get the most out of these experiences.  

People bursting with ideas make those ideas tick for their own generation, with the help of people like myself who want to make them tick... And this, I think is a very good relationship.

Margaret Richards, UCL Film Soc newsreel 44 (1971)

Margaret’s commitment to civic life extended beyond campus. Alongside her Union role, she was a Justice of the Peace and Juvenile Court Magistrate, an arts reviewer for a magazine, vice-chair of her local Labour Party branch, and chair of the North London Anti-Apartheid Committee.  

Retiring in 1971, Margaret transformed student life. She guided generations of student leaders, training and coaching them as they came and went, with many of them later moving into successful careers in politics, business, education, journalism and the arts. Reportedly ‘loved by everyone at UCL’, she is remembered fondly by former students and colleagues for her warmth and dedication. 

Margaret made a huge contribution to the Students’ Union, providing fantastic support and advice to generations of student leaders, and helping them build one of the most successful student organisations in the country. More than 50 years on, we can still see the impact of her work.

John Dubber, Chief Executive of the Students' Union

Top photo: Pi Magazine, 2 February 1951

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