Heartfelt tributes have been paid to "a whirlwind of a bloke" following his death, aged 77.
Leonard Mathew Cruickshank, who died December 28 last year, was a father to four daughters, two sons, 14 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Known as Leni, he was born on Valentine's Day 1945 and grew up in Toxteth. The only child of Elizabeth Hanning (of Irish and Sierra Leonean heritage) and William Redmond (of African and Native American heritage) Leni's mum lost touch with his father, who he never met as the US army refused to release him due to him being black.
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Elizabeth chose to raise Leni on her own rather than trying to move to the US. She began another relationship years later but left the relationship and travelled around Europe while Leni remained working on a farm on the outskirts of Liverpool.
Leni's son Tom, told the ECHO: "Aged 18, my dad kicked his step father out the family home to allow his mother to return. This tough grounding gave my dad the fighting spirit that would be core to him throughout the rest of his life."
Tom added: "He was one of the first black men in Britain to represent himself in court on charges, have those charges overturned and ultimately result in the officers being dismissed. He was framed and was one of the lucky ones not to be convicted of a crime he didn’t commit (possession of cannabis) but was chosen because he was black. It was a moment in time he would never discuss with me."
Leni moved with his second partner and son, Tom, to Derbyshire at the start of the 80’s and watched the events of the 1981 uprising unfold on the television. Troubled by what he saw, he was determined to do something for the betterment of the area and soon moved back to Liverpool.
He formed a landscaping firm Diggers, Tom said: "He created a not for profit company designed to help regenerate the area and repurpose derelict ground into something special and usable for the community. At the same time, he wanted to help give people of the area hope.
"The plan was to give those who were unable to work or deemed unemployable the opportunity to develop, work and learn a trade. Black, white, whatever your background, whatever reason society said you had no chance, if you wanted to work and learn, there was an opportunity for you.
"It was a revolution. It made a difference to hundreds of lives. Being a Digger meant you were a digger forever. I was introduced to so many folk throughout my life, and they were introduced to me as a digger before I knew their name".
Leni worked as a landscape gardener with Liverpool City Council for many years before forming Diggers. He took great pride in the work he did around the city to "make it more beautiful and green”.
Tom said: "He wasn’t finished. He found out the Garden Festival was coming to Liverpool in 1984 and there was no local representation. He put Diggers forward and they built The Liverpool Quiz Garden.
"The garden was a timeline through Liverpool’s history. It won every gold award and the bowl was awarded for overall best garden. All the awards were presented to him by the Queen. I’m sure he told a few tales on the back of that”.
His long term partner Linda Shields said: "I knew Leni for over 50 years, and was his partner for the last 30. We shared so many happy times together, we would go on lovely days out together and spend time with his grandkids, even out on days fishing.
"He was my soul mate and I miss him so very much".
His daughter, Rachel added: "Everyone knew him. Couldn't walk anywhere without someone stopping him or shouting "Leni". Even my kids said 'he knows everyone'.
"Everywhere we went in Liverpool there was always somewhere my dad had worked on and would say 'I did that'. I was with my dad when we met the Queen at the garden festival. He loved that he got to meet her and was very proud of his quiz garden.
"He was very proud of Liverpool. Liverpool was home. Toxteth was where his heart was. A fantastic guitar player loving his bluegrass music and folk.
"I went with him to folk clubs from an early age. Sadly he stopped playing his guitar towards the end of his life and I missed hearing him play. He had more time for his grandchildren and great grandchildren and loved seeing them and chatting on facetime. He will be greatly missed."
Leni was awarded an MBE about 1987 which he was going to decline due to his firm socialist background. Tom said: "He was reminded by members of the community and the team at Diggers, this was on behalf of them”.
As his community work grew, Leni opened a rare breeds farm in Back Canning Street in Liverpool 8, possibly the first of its kind in an inner city. This allowed children the chance to learn about landscaping, plant and animal care and also an escape within a little oasis within the city.
They grew fruit, vegetables, kept bees, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, guinea pigs and more. It struggled to remain in profit, but it was about allowing those who can’t afford to pay the chance to escape and learn. Everything Leni did was for the betterment of his community and the city.
A former sewage works in Fazakerley, Leni turned into a fish farm and fishery in the late 1980s. It gave many people the opportunity to fish and also use fishing as a therapy.
Community activist and historian Laurence Westgaph said: "Leni was a great man who cared deeply about the people of Liverpool in general and Liverpool 8 in particular. "He was instrumental in the battle to save Lodge Lane from the bulldozers, as Chair of the Lodge Lane Regeneration Group, that saved the street from the horrors of the Housing Market Renewal Initiative debacle.
"Leni was a true character and will not be forgotten by all those whose lives he touched through his selfless community work."
Community worker and activist Joe Farrag said: "Sad that another activist has gone from the past. He helped educate and create L8 as it was in the early years of the community from the 1970s onwards."
Lifelong friend Leo Skeete said: "He had a company FnL Gardening Services down on Jamaica Street, with his mate Fred, he was a funny guy just by the name he made up. He took me to watch Everton when I was about five and I became a fan to my Nans dismay. I got a telling off from her for that."
Tom concluded: "He was a die hard Evertonian, and spent his life loving and moaning at the blues in equal measure. He was also a season ticket holder for the last eight years.
“Whatever I say won’t do him justice. He was a whirlwind of a bloke, always the loudest and funniest man in the room, but fierce in his beliefs and passionate about fighting for equality and opportunity. He did not care who he was speaking to, and whatever the surroundings, he knew what to say and would be forthright in expressing this, whilst still being eloquent”.
All are welcome at Leni’s funeral; St. Dunstan’s Church, Earle Road, L7 6HD at 12.30 on Friday, February 24. The family requests no black ties in keeping with his upbeat and outgoing personality.
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