ACORNS Children’s Hospice’s new chief executive Toby Porter insists he will work to make the hospice more resilient in the face of ‘tough’ economic times.
Mr Porter, who took up the role in September after former CEO David Strudley announced he was stepping down following a decade of service with the charity, recently told the Observer his most important task as chief executive is to safeguard and preserve the quality of service Acorns provide.
He has worked in a number of director-level roles for Save the Children UK and Oxfam GB and joins Acorns from HelpAge International, a global network of organisations working to help older men and women claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty.
In the last decade, the number of children being cared for by Acorns has almost doubled and the charity’s vision is to care for 1,000 children by 2020, as well as to provide support to more than 1,350 families – including those who are bereaved.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed as chief executive of Acorns, a charity with such a fantastic reputation and with so much ambition to do even more for children and families,” Mr Porter said.
“I’ve been in the job about 100 days now after spending a month alongside my predecessor David Strudley, where I enjoyed observing the charity’s work before taking on the pressure of being the new CEO.
“This wonderful charity does what it does with so much professionalism and humane sympathy, so the first and most important thing is to safeguard and preserve the quality of service we already provide.
“We then hope to make the hospice more resilient during these tough economic times. The uncertainty of Brexit and the cost of living can have an effect on funding, but a parent with a child who has a life limiting disability is what uncertainty really is. We rely on funding and need people to keep giving.
“The challenges ahead are clear as we strive to ensure every life limited and life threatened child in the region receives the specialist care and support they need.
“I look forward to working with all the dedicated staff and volunteers over the coming years to help take this charity forward,” he added.
