Dr Laurence Howard JP, the Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, is the new President of Leicestershire Leicester and Rutland Headway. He succeeds Dean Richards MBE, whose term of of­fice expired at the end of last year.

Laurence Howard was born and educated in the south of England but is very much an East Midlander by adoption. He took his degree in Physiological Science at Nottingham University and his doctorate at Leicester. Since then, he says, “My professional career has revolved around the university and medical school at Leicester and I have lived in Whissendine for the last thirty years.” He was appointed Sub Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Leicester in 1990 and was elected an Honorary Fellow of University College Northampton in 2001.

His doctorate in neurophysiology relates very closely to Headway’s work in offering practical care and counselling services to people with acquired brain injuries. In accepting his invitation to what he described as the “enormous privilege” of Headway’s Presidency he said “Given my particular interest in this area I can promise to be as active as I possibly can and very much look forward to serving your important community.” His wife, Christine, is also a strong Headway supporter and helped in its fundraising activities recently by taking part in a sponsored swim.

Laurence Howard has also been a JP since 1979 and has held a number of important local and national offices in the Magistracy.

Welcoming the new President, Michael Switzer, Headway’s local Chairman, said “We consider ourselves very fortunate to have as President someone with Laurence Howard’s talents and commitments. We have just completed a new three year plan which envisages some major developments, and we are sure that his advice and experience will help us in exciting times.”