A local charity has announced two new trustees who have joined its board of directors to help steer the organisation towards its 50th anniversary.
St Ann’s Hospice has appointed chartered accountant Darren Holt as its treasurer, and Melanie Ogden, a senior clinical leader with experience at strategic, primary and secondary care levels within the NHS as a trustee.
The charity cares for thousands of people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses every year from its three sites in Little Hulton, Heald Green, and The Neil Cliffe Centre in Wythenshawe Hospital, as well as via a range of community and outreach services. The trustees of the organisation are all volunteers.
Jackie Oldham, chair of the board, said: “It’s an exciting time at St Ann’s, as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2021, and we’re thrilled that Darren and Mel have agreed to join us as trustees. Each member of our board brings with them a unique set of skills and experience, and it’s vital we have the right people helping us to steer our ambitious plans for the business in the coming years.
“The organisation is certainly a complex one, with fourteen shops, a hospice lottery, and a range of fundraising activities running alongside the health and social care we offer to patients from across Greater Manchester and their families.
“The team at the hospice provides world-class specialist care at a time when people need it most, and as a board we’re proud to be part of such an outstanding and much-loved organisation. It’s great that Mel and Darren have joined us, and I’m sure they’ll play an important part in helping us ensure hospice care in Greater Manchester remains fit for purpose for many future generations to benefit from too.”
St Ann’s is a registered charity and receives around a third of its funding from the NHS, with the rest, around £20,000 a day, fundraised thanks to the generosity of the local community.
Darren Holt, said: “St Ann’s does wonderful work supporting patients and their families at what could be the worst of times, in such a way that ensures it is the best it can be. To be given the opportunity to help to sustain and hopefully extend that work is, in itself, an honour and I expect it will also be prove to be a pleasure.”
Mel Ogden, said: “I’m delighted to be joining the St Ann’s team who have a national reputation for caring.
“When I worked in the NHS we often talked about how we often met people at their most vulnerable and life changing point in their lives, and we tried to embody the values as set out in the NHS constitution – ‘compassion is central to the care we provide and respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need. We search for the things we can do, however small, to give comfort and relieve suffering. We find time for patients, their families and carers, as well as those we work alongside’. I see that being put into everyday practice by the staff and volunteers at St Ann’s, and it’s an honour to be asked to join the board of trustees.”
