Lee Rogerson MBE, a great friend and supporter of the Jubilee Centre, sadly passed away on Saturday 25th of February 2023, following a short and unexpected illness. Lee was 53 years old.
Lee was a passionate, creative and talented educator and filmmaker, and was awarded an MBE in 2003 for his services to youth charities and marginalised young people. Our relationship with Lee pre-dates the Jubilee Centre, and Lee worked closely with Tom, James, Aidan, and others on projects including My Character and Knightly Virtues. Lee’s creativity, as well as his talents working with young people, helped ensure these projects were delivered successfully – indeed, they set the standard and became the model for many of the ensuing Jubliee Centre projects. Lee continued to work with us after the Jubilee Centre was founded in 2012. Projects that Lee worked on included the influential Give Thanks, Give Back and Flourishing from the Margins projects. He worked as a Research Fellow on Teaching Character Through Subjects and helped create the initial module content for when the MA Character Education launched in 2015.
Lee’s real passion and talent was as a filmmaker, and his kindness and humility would always put actors and participants at ease to tell their own stories, in their own voices, which he would then weave into the narrative of the film. He filmed the launch of the Jubilee Centre in the House of Lords in 2012, and captured many other important Centre events over the last 10 years. The footage and interviews he collected were edited into films that increased the impact of the Centre’s work to new audiences and in visual ways. Lee had a real talent for using film to translate academic research into narratives that are accessible to wider audiences. His final film for the Centre was the 10-year anniversary film A Decade Worth Celebrating (2022).
Those of us who had the privilege to work with Lee will remember for him for his character and virtues. He really was the epitome of many of the virtues that the Jubilee Centre believes are so important for human flourishing. On hearing of his passing members of the Jubilee team, commented on his spirit of generosity, his loving kindness and compassion, and his qualities as a mentor and friend. We are truly rocked by the news of Lee’s passing. Lee will be greatly missed, but his legacy as an inspirational educator will live on for many decades.
Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Rachael and sons Sam, Isaac and Nathan.