A Cumbrian businessman is bringing his personal experience as a parent to bear as a trustee of a national charity.

Craig Hatch, who is group managing director at global professional services firm WYG, in Cockermouth, has joined the leadership team of WellChild.

WellChild carries out work to help children with serious illnesses and health needs leave hospital and live at home with their families.

This includes providing practical and emotional support to the children and their families and funding projects and research to help parents, carers and people care for them.

Craig, who has four children including Fraser, 20, who has cerebral palsy, has been involved with the charity for the last five years, taking part in various fundraising challenges and addressing conferences and events as a WellChild ambassador.

“They have now created two roles for parent representatives on the board and that’s the role I have managed to secure,” said Craig.

He said he had received support from WellChild himself and was looking forward to helping them in return.

“You spend a lot of time organising things like social care and education, as well as looking after Fraser and working,” he said.

“The combination of those things is quite challenging.

“The role is to help with the governance and make sure that the charity functions in the way it’s meant to.

“It’s a great charity in that they listen to parents and the parent ambassadors are very much part of what drives the organisation and its aims and objectives.”

In the past, Craig was part of a group who drove the idea of WellChild’s #notanurse_but social media campaign, which featured videos of parents talking about the real, everyday challenges of caring for ill children.

In 2018 Craig ran the London Marathon and took part in the Great North Run to raise money for the charity, as well as completing the national Three Peaks Challenge the year before.

WellChild chief executive Colin Dyer said: “We are delighted to welcome our new trustees. They will bring a combination of lived experience and professional expertise to the leadership team.”