Walking over hot coals to raise money for St Barnabas was a breeze compared to what was to come for Tony as chair of trustees at St Barnabas!
Tony took over from Bob Neilans in 2019, having proven his dedication to the cause since 2013. Following retirement from his business that year, Tony was invited to join the board by two trustees who spotted his potential to be a valuable board member. And fortunately for us, he said yes.
Tony’s professional background in wholesale, retail and pharmaceuticals saw him take a seat on our shop committee straightaway. Tony settled into his role and was looking forward to spending the next six months getting to know the Hospice and, in particular, our retail function. But within three months, he found himself chairing the committee when his fellow trustee retired from the role. And it wasn’t long before he was asked to chair a second committee. However, all that came to an end in 2019, when he was elected to be chair of trustees.
Tony joined St Barnabas because he felt he could make a difference and he enjoys a challenge. And the Covid-19 pandemic certainly gave him that! With no blueprint for a battle of this size, he quickly formed a core trustee group to help him keep things afloat and discovered the joys of video conferencing. Tony’s leadership and the resilience of our Hospice team meant we weathered the storm. Not only that, but we expanded our services too, taking on the Admiral Nurse service caring for people with dementia across Lincolnshire.
Recognising the critical role the Hospice plays in the health service across Lincolnshire, Tony has set his sights on improving services even further and future-proofing the Hospice before his time as chair ends in a couple of years. And we have every confidence in him.
In his own words…
“I feel privileged to be the chair of an organisation that is built soundly. There was clearly a lot of foresight when it was first formed. My life as chair has been made much easier because of how it was run in those early days and more recently too.”