People: Children’s Heart Surgery Fund; Boost Drinks; and Sheffcare

Charity, Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) has appointed Claire Daniels, CEO of Trio Media as its newest trustee.

Claire is the most recent Board Member to join CHSF and will use her expertise to support with strategic digital marketing for the children’s charity. Claire and the Trio Media team will work alongside the internal marketing team to drive initiatives to increase donations and raise awareness of CHSF and congenital heart disease (CHD). As part of her role as trustee, Claire will share joint responsibility for governing the charity whilst supporting the Executive to deliver on strategic plans for growth.

CHSF is a self-funded, regional charity established in 1988 by then heart surgeon Duncan Walker. The charity supports the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit based in Leeds General Infirmary, its patients, and their families by funding care and treatment. CHSF provide state-of-the-art medical equipment, parent accommodation and ward facilities, plus staff training, essential research, and clinical posts.

The Leeds Congenital Heart Unit is the only specialist centre for CHD in the region, providing a vital resource for the 5.6 million inhabitants of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire who are treated at a network of 18 hospitals.

Each year around 17,000 babies, children and adults pass through the Heart Unit as inpatients, with around 1,600 undergoing surgery and interventional procedures, and as outpatients in Leeds and at clinics across the region.

CHSF is the only charity in the region that supports babies, children and adults with CHD, from the womb through to adulthood. CHD affects almost 8 in 1,000 newborn babies in the UK each year. Around 60% of these babies will have significant heart defects which are likely to require surgery or interventional procedures in early infancy, and many will need multiple procedures and lifelong care.

Claire Daniels, CEO of Trio Media said: “I was keen to lend my expertise to a worthy cause, and when I found out about the amazing work that CHSF do, it felt like a no brainer. I couldn’t believe the volume of how many children will be born with CHD and the role the charity has played in saving so many lives.”

During 2021, fundraising donations from individual supporters, Trusts and Foundations and corporate partners have enabled CHSF to purchase vital equipment for Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, including a revolutionary new baby MRI incubator and life-saving breastfeeding equipment to support inpatients and families at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.

Commenting on Claire’s appointment and plans for 2022, CEO of CHSF Sharon Milner added: “CHSF are thrilled that Claire has joined as Trustee and her knowledge, contacts and support within digital marketing are already contributing greatly to our Board and team.

“Next year will mark a period of further growth for our charity. We are planning to increase CHSF staffing further and deliver more holistic care for the whole family plus numerous vital projects within the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit.

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Leading functional drinks brand, Boost Drinks, has expanded its senior team with the appointment of sales director, Colin Falconer, to lead the business through the next stage in its journey.

Falconer will begin his new role on 4th January 2022 and brings with him a wealth of sales and leadership experience across multiple channels from his time at Mars, 2 Sisters and most notably Britvic Soft Drinks.

In his 15 years at Britvic, Falconer’s role included convenience channel director and his invaluable industry knowledge and relationships coupled with his passion, ambition and strategic skills make him the ideal person to join the Boost leadership team to drive forward its growth plans.

The appointment comes at a pivotal moment in Boost’s history. The business has plans to further expand its distribution within the UK and Irish convenience and foodservice channels with its growing functional drinks portfolio as well as building its international footprint in overseas markets.

Founder and CEO, Simon Gray, said: “Boost has always been exciting and ambitious, and with our recent partnership to distribute Rio, the successful launch of our coffee and the changing customer landscape ahead of us, we feel that this is a great moment for Colin to come on board.

“We’re looking forward to Colin joining at a significant moment in our business history and see him as a key catalyst in our future success.”

Falconer added: “I’ve long admired the Boost Drinks story and approach, and in particular, the strong relationships they’ve built with the wholesale trade and convenience retailers as well as the growing consumer engagement in recent years.

“I have a huge passion for soft drinks and am thrilled to be joining Boost at a time of significant opportunity, and really look forward to being part of the leadership team and working with the full business to take full advantage of all the exciting opportunities open to us”.

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Sheffield care home charity Sheffcare has appointed its first recruitment coordinator.

Lauren Barlow will be responsible for recruitment and staff retention for the chain of ten homes across the city.

“It is no secret that our industry as a whole has faced enormous challenges over the past two years,” said the charity’s chief executive Claire Rintoul.

“Lauren’s wealth of experience in recruitment makes her the ideal person to seek out the best people for the full range of roles we have on offer.

“Not only will she be there to take them through the recruitment process but she will also mentor them through their first six months within the Sheffcare family.

“We believe this is the best way to find the right people and maintain the high standards that have always been the hallmark of everything we do at Sheffcare as we care for more than 400 residents.”