THE world’s first children’s hospice could merge with a Hampshire hospice after plans were revealed by their new chief executive.

Chris Robinson, who has taken up the post at Helen and Douglas House in Magdalen Road, will spearhead a year-long review exploring the possibility of working closer with Winchester’s children’s hospice Naomi House and Jacksplace.

Mr Robinson, from Surrey, said: “It’s a great, positive opportunity, just to check whether we can make it better for the families and children by working closer together.

“We don’t know where it’s going, it’s a blank sheet of paper.

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“There will be questions, there will be concerns, but we can sort them out.”

The 66-year-old took up the position last Wednesday after Tom Hill retired following 11 years at the hospice.

He has been chief executive of the Winchester hospice for the last two years and said both could see a better range of services.

Chairwoman of the Helen and Douglas board of trustees Elizabeth Drew commented: “We are continually striving to improve the quality and reach of our services and improve our sustainability.”

Mr Robinson has spent the last 16 years working within the charitable sector.

He helped launch London homelessness charity Off The Streets and Into Work which put more than 1,000 homeless young people into work in its first two years.

But he said the issue was close to his heart after he was made homeless at the age of six.

He said: “My mum and dad were very hard working and I had a very privileged family life because I was told I was loved every day, but we did not have enough money.”

Mr Robinson said working for charities means even more to him after losing son Danny, 24, three years ago.

He passed away in June 2011, two months after having an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant.

Mr Robinson, also father to six children and grandfather-of-one, said: “All I can say is, as one person at Naomi House said to me, I have crossed over a line that fortunately most parents don’t have to cross over.”

Meet the boss

  • Mr Robinson is a former semi-professional 
  • footballer, having played for Cheltenham Town in the 90s. 
  •  He was CEO of Middlesex’s CHASE Children’s Hospice before spending three years working for international charity Right to Play. Here he was involved in a deal with Chelsea Football Club which made the club partners with the charity. 
  • Mr Robinson also spent three years working for Boris Johnson’s The Mayor’s Fund for London. 
  • Alongside his charity work, he has worked in Chelsea Football Club’s academy recruitment team for the last three years.

 


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