Acorns Children’s Hospice have announced that Trevor Johnson has been appointed as the charity’s new Chief Executive.

Trevor will take up his position at Acorns in March next year and replaces Toby Porter, who stepped down as Acorns CEO in September after six years at the helm.

Trevor will join Acorns from his current position as CEO of Katharine House Hospice, a charity which provides specialist palliative care for adults with life-limiting conditions across North-Oxfordshire and South-Northamptonshire. Speaking of his appointment, Trevor said:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be appointed Chief Executive of Acorns, a charity which delivers such vital care and support to hundreds of children and families across the region every year.

“As someone who is very familiar with the hospice sector, I’m excited to be leading Acorns and helping the charity as it works towards its ambition to reach even more families with the care they need.

“Acorns is a place where families can build memories and encounter support they often didn’t even know was there, at a time when they needed it most.

“It’s an honour to join this cause, and I’m very much looking forward to working with the fantastic teams across the charity to take Acorns forward over the coming years.”

Acorns, which opened its first hospice in Birmingham in 1988, provides specialist palliative care to babies, children and young people across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire.

In the past year, the charity has cared for more than 700 children and supported more than 900 families, including the bereaved. Mark Hopton, Acorns Chairman, said:

“We are delighted to have appointed Trevor as our new Chief Executive. We undertook a rigorous selection process and my fellow Trustees and I were extremely impressed by Trevor’s energy and experience and the way he demonstrated his commitment towards the charity’s Vision.

“We very much look forward to welcoming Trevor to Acorns in March next year, to take Acorns forward as we build upon the first year of our three-year Strategy and ensure we can continue providing vital care to any child and their family who needs us.”