He was very interested in the local community and local politics, and was a Conservative City Councillor for many years. Mayor of Peterborough in 1973-74, Ray was also a member of the Peterborough Development Corporation set up in 1968 as a Government initiative to provide homes, work and a full range of urban facilities and services for an extra 70,000 people. Ray was one of the first 7 people to be appointed to the board and played a massive part in contributing to our new City.
Ray sadly died very suddenly in 1981. This was a huge shock not only for Greenwoods, but also for the profession, and for Peterborough. At his funeral, Charles Swift (a lifelong Labour supporter) gave a moving tribute to Ray saying that he always put the best interests of this City above party politics.
He had been a stalwart raiser of funds for the Peterborough District Hospital and after his untimely death, the Medics and Lawyers got together and decided that the most fitting tribute they could think of was to instigate an annual talk and dinner which would be of interest to both professions. This has been revived after a number of years of inactivity following the closure of the Peterborough District Hospital.