Scope patron Cherie Blair on the 2013 New Year's Honours list
2 January 2013
Scope chief executive Richard Hawkes commented on Cherie Blair and the 2013 New Year's Honours list:
"It is fantastic to hear that Cherie Blair is to be honoured by HM The Queen for services to charity. Cherie has been a patron of the disability charity Scope for 10 years, and is a passionate advocate for our work improving the lives of disabled people and their families.
Cherie's background as a human rights barrister, combined with her strong interest and understanding of our work, makes her one of our most committed supporters. She frequently gives up her time, mobilises her contacts, and provides knowledge and expertise in a variety of ways that help our work supporting disabled people. We are incredibly fortunate to work with her, and are delighted that the Queen has recognised the exhaustive charity work Cherie undertakes, both in the UK and abroad."
Notes to the Editor:
Cherie first visited a Scope service in May 1998, when she toured our Ingfield Manor School in West Sussex. She became a Patron of Scope in December 2002.
Over the years Cherie has supported dozens of high-profile events and fundraising initiatives for Scope. These have included a charity trading day, which has raised around £250,000 for Scope over the last four years, and our annual Inspirations Dinner, which is on course to have generated £500,000 for Scope by the end of 2013.
Cherie has also supported our campaigning work, highlighting the importance of having disabled characters in children's books and raising awareness of disability issues such as independent living for adults with complex impairments. She has supported Scope by visiting many areas of our work in England and Wales, and also speaking on our behalf at international conferences such the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs in Doha, Qatar.
Find out more about Scope patrons.
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