THE Ty Hafan children's hospice has elected a new chairperson to lead its board of trustees.

Maria Timon Samra, from Penarth, has been a Ty Hafan trustee since February 2013 and assumes the position from business leader, Mervyn Ham, who has served in the role for the last three years.

Maria will provide strategic direction to the board, acting in a voluntary capacity to ensure that Ty Hafan continues to be a leader in paediatric palliative care, and fulfils its mission to deliver a high-standard of free care and support to the families of life-limited children in Wales.

Maria brings a wealth of experience to Ty Hafan.

Following an international career in management consulting, her more recent roles include founder director of a Welsh-based business consultancy, and Interim Chief Information Officer for Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.

Speaking of her new appointment, Maria said: “I feel humbled to act as chairperson for this special organisation during 2015, and I will continue to dedicate my time, energy and experience in this role. I am very passionate about promoting and preserving Ty Hafan in the hearts and minds of everyone in Wales.

“It is always such a joy to visit the hospice and see the children and families benefitting from our services and enjoying the activities available to them. I will work with the Board to build on our programme of research, fundraising and investment, to ensure we can continue to deliver relevant and highly-valued services in the hospice, at home, in hospital or in school so that life-limited children in Wales can live a full family life.

“I am incredibly fortunate to be supported by a team of experienced and very dedicated trustees, as well as a talented team of executives, employees and volunteers. I would like to thank Mervyn for his professional commitment and excellent work as chairman of Ty Hafan. I am delighted to have the opportunity to build on such solid foundations, so we can continue to reach out to, and meet the needs of families who may need access to these specialist services and resources.”

Outgoing chairman of Ty Hafan, Mervyn Ham, said: “It is with great sadness that I am standing down after three remarkable years at Ty Hafan. It has been my privilege to serve as Chairman and I am incredibly proud of the great strides we have taken to further develop the credentials of Ty Hafan as a global leader in paediatric palliative care.

“It is an exciting time at T? Hafan. The charity will go from strength-to-strength as it continues to seek and identify all those life-limited children in Wales, who, together with their families, could benefit from the care of Ty Hafan.

“I am handing over to Maria; a very accomplished, dedicated professional who I know shares our values and ambition. I am totally confident she will build on the excellent work that has been achieved in recent years.”

It costs £3.7m a year to provide access to T? Hafan’s state-of-the-art facilities at Sully and support services to families in the community who need these resources. For information on care services or to make a donation please visit www.tyhafan.org