Name: Sir Neil Thorne
Title: Life President & Senior Founding Trustee
Department: Board of Trustees
Location: City of Westminster
Sir Neil Thorne accepted the honour of being the Charity’s Life President in 2016 in recognition of his role in helping found and direct the work of the Charity since its inception. Sir Neil has led a life of service to others, initially in the armed service where he served with Gurkha Regiment and subsequently with a professional qualification as a Chartered Surveyor he followed a successful professional career to became an authority in transport and as a Local Authority Councillor, City Alderman and later a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Ilford South. He played a significant role in sponsoring the Parliamentary Bills providing the Heathrow Express, Jubilee Line, Stratford Extension. Docklands Light Railway Bank extension NS1’s, St Pancras Chanel Tunnel line among many others. Sir Neil’s interest in charity is far reaching but focused primarily on hospices and health care both at home and abroad. He has played a significant role in Children in Distress, being one of those, who signed the Charity’s original founding documents for Romanian Children's AID and Children in Distress and now is the charity's most senior Trustees. Together with his wife Sheila, they generously host many of the Trustees meetings in and around London.