New Chief Executive To Build On Foundations Of Percy Hedley's Pioneering Work

The Percy Hedley Foundation has appointed new Chief Executive, Dr. Tony Best, to drive forward the organisation's tradition of innovation and develop its unique range of pioneering services to support disabled people and their families.

With a track record of working in the field of disability - including a stint as a teacher at Northern Counties School for the Deaf in the 1970s - Tony returns to his native North East from his previous post as Chief Executive of Sense, a national charity that supports and campaigns for deafblind people and their families. During his time there - and throughout his career spanning work in special schools, and in consultative posts in Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, India and the Far East - he has carried out break-through research, evaluation and staff development in the disability sector.

Renowned for providing a specialist service for the North East, with specially trained teachers, speech, language and physio therapists, Tony is looking forward to developing further Percy Hedley's UK-leading achievements including Conductive Education for children, innovative solutions to improve quality of life such as specially designed housing options, the recently introduced therapeutic support for older people suffering from a stroke and the Disability Sports Academy, which will play host to a number of athletes as they train for the Olympics.

Tony explains what attracted him to the role, "The insights I have gained through years of working with people with disabilities has made me determined to pioneer new ways to bring out potential and improve quality of life, which is an ambition I immediately identified with at Percy Hedley. For example, I believe passionately there is a vital role for special schools as an integral part of educational provision and, following the award to our school of Specialist School Status, we will be able to develop services to children, parents and other schools in the local community."

"I join The Percy Hedley Foundation at a really exciting time with a number of major developments underway all designed, after in-depth consultation, to have an impact of the lives of disabled people and their families. I'm delighted and inspired to be working with such a brilliant team of dedicated, highly trained staff and ambitious trustees to continue this approach and to build on these valued and innovative initiatives."

Welcoming Tony into his new job, former Foundation chairman Kevan Carrick, said: "Tony joins us at an exciting time. The Foundation is now internationally recognised for the quality of its services. Last year we spent £13 million on providing services to disabled people and there are exciting plans for the future. Tony is ideally qualified to take the charity forward and retain its strong ethos."

Dr Tony Best replaces Jim Ferris, who retired as chief executive in July after 23 years.

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