Dr Laurence Howard, Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, becomes a patron of Leicester Charity Link.

Dr Laurence Howard, Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, is to become a patron of Leicester Charity Link.

He joins the chairman of Leicestershire County Council, the Lord Mayor of Leicester and Sir Timothy Brooks KCVO as patrons of the charity which each year helps over 5,000 vulnerable people who are suffering poverty, hardship or crisis.

Dr Howard said “I am privileged to have been invited to become a patron of this most worthy of causes. The ability to link those in crisis with those able to help is crucial to the well-being of thousands in both Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. At a time of increasing pressure on public spending the work of Leicester Charity Link is all the more vital.”

Susan McEniff, director of Marketing and Fundraising at Leicester Charity Link, added:  “We are delighted that Dr Laurence Howard has accepted our invitation to become a patron of Leicester Charity Link. His wealth of experience and enthusiasm will have such a positive impact on our organisation.”

Dr Laurence Howard, OBE, JP, is Lord Lieutenant of Rutland. He was appointed in 2003, having served as Deputy Lieutenant since 1997. He is also a former chairman of the Central Council of Magistrates’ Courts Committees, and has served on the bench in Leicestershire and Rutland for 25 years.

Dr Howard was born in 1943 in the south of England. He took his degree in Physiological Science at the University of Nottingham and his PhD in Neurophysiology at Leicester. He joined the University of Leicester in 1974 and was appointed Sub-Dean to the Medical School and subsequently Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Biological Sciences. He retired from the university in 2006.

Dr Howard has been involved in various aspects of charity work and also prison visiting. He is a trustee of both Oakham School and Uppingham School, and is Honorary Air Commodore of 504 Squadron at RAF Cottesmore. He is also chairman of the Rutland Historic Churches Trust and president of both Headway and the Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation.