Healthcare mission for NKDC's new chairman

Taking office last week, Coun Hagues said her nominated charity would be Children With Cancer UK which has a vision to ensure that every child and young person diagnosed with cancer survives.

A long-time resident of Leasingham and ward councillor for the Cliff Villages, she will be supported by husband and county councillor Andrew Hagues, a recent chairman of Lincolnshire County Council, and Vice-Chairman Coun Ross Little of North Hykeham.

A grandparent who was herself diagnosed and treated for cancer 20 years ago, Coun Hagues went on to be involved with trials for new treatments for lymphoma and served for 10 years as a patient representative on the National Cancer Research Institute.

Coun Hagues said of the charity: “They fund innovative research projects that aim to determine the causes, find cures and provide care for children with cancer so that one day every child can ring the end of treatment bell.”

Coun Hagues is looking forward to getting out into the community, meeting with people and organisations and especially so if invited to attend Platinum Jubilee events.

“It is a great honour and a privilege to be elected to this role and I will do my utmost to diligently represent this wonderful district,” she said at the annual council meeting where she was appointed.

Outgoing chairman Coun Susannah Barker-Milan raised £3,095 for the county’s domestic abuse support charity EDAN Lincs, thanks to generous donations and personally taking on Velocity 2 the world’s longest, and Europe’s fastest, zipwire in North Wales.

Because of the pandemic, Coun Barker-Milan was chairman of NKDC for an extended 19 months.

She was proud to represent the district, despite the pandemic restrictions.

The care home manager added: “Bringing a greater awareness of dementia, mental health and domestic violence to the heart of our communities is very important to me and I believe we all need to understand more fully the impact, needs and our own responses.”