Grant Sugden has been appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees at Circle. Grant previously worked at Circle as a Senior Manager before leaving in 2011 to take up his current full-time role as Chief Executive of Waverley Care, Scotland’s HIV and Hepatitis C Charity.
Grant has an MSc in Social Work and an MBA. Both skills will be vital in ensuring that Circle’s work with vulnerable families across Edinburgh, the Lothians and North & South Lanarkshire continues to grow to meet the increasing demand for help.
Grant says he couldn’t resist the opportunity of coming back to Circle to take on a new role. He says: “I’m absolutely delighted to join the board of Circle as its new chair. Circle is an organisation I’ve had a long association with. I’m looking forward to working with everyone involved in supporting its vital work with children and their families in Scotland.”
West Pilton-based Circle works across some of the most deprived areas in Scotland to support children disadvantaged by the trauma and chaos of parental substance abuse. Their Family Outreach Workers help the children, and their families, to communicate, repair relationships and develop skills that enable them to lead more fulfilling lives.
Continued cuts to local authority budgets and family benefits mean that there has been a shocking increase in the number of children who are now living in poverty, dependent on foodbanks and relying on support from charities. Latest figures show that 230,000 children live in poverty in Scotland. That is 1 in 4.
Rhona Hunter, Chief Executive of Circle, said: “This is an exciting time for Circle. We’ve had a number of recent successes; a very productive session with the Scottish Parliament, a new post secured through our partnership with South Lanarkshire Council Women’s Aid – and now our Board of Trustees is now complete with Grant’s appointment.
“We continue to provide the services that many children and families in Scotland need. However, the big challenge is meeting that growing need in the current financial climate.”
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