Mr Roberts joined the charity as a trustee in 1992, quickly becoming part of the fabric of Francis House. He took over as Chair in 2014 following the retirement of Robin Wood.
Francis House was established in 1990 to benefit the families of children with life-limiting conditions from across Greater Manchester. The hospice opened in 1991 - only the fifth children’s hospice to be built in the UK.
During his nine years as Chair, Chris has overseen a period of significant growth with the development of two residential properties providing a place of permanent residence for young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.
The ground-breaking projects in Didsbury and Heaton Moor, operated by Francis House Families Ltd, offer a comfortable and supportive living environment to a dozen young people.
Chris stood down as Chair at a trustee meeting on October 5 with Jane Kempler taking over the position having been voted in as the new Chair.
As a chartered accountant in the early 1990s, Chris was visiting Wardley Hall, the Bishop of Salford’s residence and the finance office for the Diocese of Salford, when Father Thomas Mulheran, told him that the Bishop was looking for an accountant to join the Trustees at Francis House and was requesting volunteers. Unable to refuse, Chris has served on the main trustee body and the finance sub committee since its inception.
Jane Kempler joined the board of trustees in 2020 having recently retired from corporate life with experience in operational management of call centres, sales and customer service.
David Ireland, chief executive of Francis House said: “Francis House has been fortunate to attract so many people who have given time and expertise freely in order to benefit our many families. Chris and Martin have been part of the fabric from the very beginning and Francis House has benefited so much from their guidance and leadership.
“Whatever the situation I have personally relied on their wise advice and unerring support and will miss having them on the end of the telephone particularly in the difficult times, I’m sure that Sister Aloysius felt the same way. We wish them long and healthy retirements and look forward to the next phase of our history as we move forward with Jane as Chair.”
To find out more about the work of Francis House visit www.francishouse.org.uk