Legal expert and community stalwart Simon James is looking forward to a new challenge – as Chairman of St Giles Hospice Board of Trustees.

The senior partner of Ansons LLP Solicitors, of Lichfield and Cannock, where he's worked for over 30 years, Simon has been a St Giles trustee since 2001.

The role of the Board of Trustees is to represent the local community and provide strategic direction for the hospice to ensure it adheres to its core philosophy and values, while delegating day-to-day management of the hospice and its caring services to the professional management team.

“I'm honoured to step into the role of Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St Giles Hospice, a charity which is so close to the hearts of so many local people,” says Simon. “I'd like to thank the outgoing chairman, Peter Durrant, for his careful stewardship of the charity over the last four years.

“My challenge is to provide strategic advice and direction for St Giles in the face of an increasingly elderly population living with more complex conditions and needing more support, while at the same time traditional fundraising channels are dwindling in the light of the tough economic climate.

“My aim is to ensure continued success during this challenging time for the hospice, and I am looking forward to working closely with the community, the Board of Trustees and the Management Team at St Giles.”

Simon (56) lives in Yoxall with his wife Jenny and 17-year-old daughter Katherine. He was born in nearby King's Bromley, just five miles from Lichfield, and has lived in Staffordshire all his life.

He also holds a number of key roles within the local community – as warden of Lichfield Conduit Lands Trust, clerk of Lichfield Municipal Charities and chairman of trustees of the HE and CT Robinson Charitable Trust for Lokono Arawak and Carib Indians.

Welcoming the new Chairman, hospice Chief Executive Peter Holliday adds: “The Board of Trustees plays a vital role in shaping the strategic aims of St Giles, and with its help we are able to maintain and develop our free specialist care services for patients and their families across the region.

“Simon brings a wealth of experience and is well placed to help us tackle the challenges of the years ahead.”