British Asian Trust Chief Executive joins international disability charity Motivation as new Chair of Trustees

Richard Hawkes will be hosting his first meeting as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Motivation Charitable Trust today (Wednesday 23rd March), having taken over the role earlier this year from interim Chair, Sinclair Beecham.

Hawkes, who is the Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust, brings a wealth of experience to the role, having been CEO of Scope and running programmes overseas for VSO and Sense International, which he set up. He has also been Chair of Bond, the umbrella body for UK international NGOs.

Motivation's Chief Executive, Richard Frost is delighted with the new appointment. “It's great to have someone with Richard's depth of knowledge and experience in the charity sector taking on the role of Chair. Motivation has some amazing opportunities ahead of us and we have no doubt that Richard will play a significant role in helping guide us to even greater success in the future.”

The appointment of Hawkes comes at an exciting time for Motivation, as the charity celebrates 25 years of providing mobility solutions for disabled people living in some of the world's poorest countries.

Since 1991, Motivation has gone from making wheelchairs in one local workshop in Bangladesh to helping to set the standard for wheelchair provision globally[1]. They have shown the world that with the right wheelchair, training and support, even the most disadvantaged and vulnerable can lead full, healthy and productive lives.

Richard Hawkes comments “I'm thrilled to be joining Motivation at this special time, and working with the two co-founders, David Constantine MBE and Richard Frost, who continue to run the charity a quarter of a century later. The vision they set out with back in 1991 still drives everything the organisation does today and I am looking forward to supporting the team as they continue to create a world in which disabled people are included and can fully participate in all aspects of life.”

Coinciding with the appointment of Hawkes, Motivation has also just launched a brand new website www.motivation.org.uk where further information about the work of the charity can be found.

For a comment or interview with Richard Hawkes please contact:

Joanna Hall
Head of Fundraising & Communications
Hall@Motivation.org.uk
01272 464012

Notes to Editors:

• Learn more about Motivation's work at their new website www.motivation.org.uk

• Motivation is the leading provider of quality products, training and support for wheelchair users in low income countries. Working with local, national and international partners, Motivation has been transforming the lives of people with mobility disabilities for 25 years.

• Without mobility millions of disabled people in the developing world are unable to leave their homes, go to school or work. Many are left to lie on the floor; many more die from preventable complications. It doesn't have to be this way. The right wheelchair, with the right support, can be life-changing.

• Motivation's strategic goal is to support 100,000 disabled people annually by the end of 2017.

[1] Motivation helped to develop and co-author the World Health Organization's 'Guidelines on the Provision of Manual Wheelchairs in Less Resourced Settings' a sector changing publication.