Hope for Children founder awarded OBE in Queen's Birthday honours

Hope for Children’s (HOPE) founder Dr Bob Parsons MBE has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for services to disadvantaged children in the UK and overseas.

Since founding the charity in 1994 using a £5,000 bequest given to him by a friend, the charity has grown considerably over the last 20 years, to the extent that over the past 12 months HOPE has been able to raise an amazing £1.6million.

Dr Parsons said, “My vision was to help needy children and families in the UK and developing countries who fell through the gaps of support by the larger charities. I wanted to set up an organisation of low cost in order that as much as possible of donors contributions could go to the beneficiaries.

We believe in helping and supporting children and their families. Our focus is to reach as many children as we can and to deliver to them the childhood that every child deserves.

Now HOPE is active in 9 countries around Africa, Asia and the UK, and in 2013 we helped over 70,000 children and their families.”

Simon Jackman, HOPE Chief Executive said, “Bob is an inspirational man who thoroughly deserves this honour. Through his career and founding of HOPE, he has helped so many disadvantaged children and their families. We are delighted that in this, HOPE’s 20th Anniversary year, his contributions have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.”