BWBF welcomes new Chair & Vice Chair
British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF) has welcomed a new Chair and Vice-Chair to lead its Board of Trustees.
As of 19 March 2024, Mike Brace CBE DL took over from Daniel Smith as the charity’s Chair. A former Paralympian, social worker and disability charity leader, Mike has served on BWBF’s Board of Trustees since 2018. Gerry Thorn will take on the role of Vice-Chair. Instrumental in the development of some of BWBF’s best-loved adapted radios, Gerry has also served as a Trustee for the charity since 2018.
Outgoing Chair Daniel Smith will continue to serve on BWBF’s Board of Trustees going forward.
Sophie Jones, Chief Executive Officer for BWBF, said: “On behalf of BWBF, I want to express our immense gratitude to Daniel Smith for his astounding contribution. Under Daniel’s guidance, our charity has undergone a remarkable transformation – embracing a new technological era and evolving our service for people living with sight loss. He is incredibly passionate about supporting our beneficiaries and I am delighted he will be continuing to bring his expertise to bear as a Trustee.
“Meanwhile, I’d like to welcome Mike Brace and Gerry Thorn into their new roles. Already, their contribution on our Board has been huge, and I know that their experience and vision will help us innovate to deliver an even better service for those we exist to support.”
Mike Brace, BWBF’s new Chair of Trustees, said: “I am very proud to have been appointed as Chair. As someone with a vision impairment, I got my first BWBF wireless over 50 years ago and still remember vividly the thrill of being able to access my selected radio stations when and where I wanted to. My radio is still the main means of my accessing news, information and entertainment and I am looking forward to supporting the charity in providing people living with sight loss with access to whatever they need by whatever means possible.”
Mike Brace is a former Paralympic skier. He was Chief Executive of Vision 2020 UK and served as Chairman of the British Paralympic Association. He has been awarded an OBE and a CBE for Services to Disabled Sport. Gerry Thorn is a former Product and IT Director for Roberts Radio. This role saw him help to develop BWBF’s Concerto products, a line of specially adapted radios designed for people living with sight loss.