A new chair of trustees has been appointed at a Willow Burn Hospice following the retirement of long serving board member Paul Jackson.
Paul has represented the board for the past two decades and was bestowed with the honour of becoming the charity’s first honorary president after stepping down at its recent AGM. Jane Robinson, who has worked in health and social care services across the North East for the last 35 years, replaces Paul as chair.
Paul, known affectionately as ‘Mr Willow Burn’, was key in persuading care home entrepreneur Helen McArdle to invest in the hospice in 2016 when it was in dire need of urgent refurbishment.
He said: “There have been some very difficult times over the past 20 plus years as funds were often never there and we were very close to closure, but I refused to let that happen and proud that we were able to work with Helen McArdle to design this 5-star purpose-built hospice which I genuinely think is the best around.
“It’s an honour that the role of honorary president has been created to mark my service at the charity.
With 35 years of experience in health and social care services, including the past 10 years working for Durham County Council, Jane has a wealth of experience in care.
She has also been the county council’s Corporate Director, Adult and Health Services for the past eight years and the chair of the North East Association of Directors for Adult Social Services for three years.
Jane has a personal reason for wishing to support Willow Burn Hospice too as her mother spent the last few weeks of her life there in 2022.
She said: “I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be appointed chair of the board of trustees, an organisation which provided such amazing care to my mother in her last days. She couldn’t believe what a great facility it was and wanted me to do everything I could to support the hospice in the future which I’m delighted to do.
