A lawyer who was instrumental in setting up Julia’s House nearly 30 years ago, has been appointed as an ambassador of the much loved charity.
Martyn Hudson was key in the founding of the children’s hospice as company secretary and after more than two decades, is stepping down from that voluntary role.
Martyn, 70, said: “You could definitely describe me as the last man standing from the original founding group that included Mike Wise, Richard Tattersall, and Julia’s son, Ian Perks.
“They instructed me to set up the company as a charity and register it with the Charity Commission. It all really started from there.”
Martyn from Three Legged Cross also incorporated the charity’s trading subsidiary, acted on a number of acquisitions of the shops that it now operates from, and acquired the Broadstone headquarters for the Dorset operation.
And he calls the charity, which supports children with life limiting or life threatening conditions and their families, “quite astonishing and utterly remarkable.”
He added: “It has been an unbelievable privilege to be involved and play a part in such an incredible story.”
Julia’s House is named after Julia Perks, a dedicated local paediatric nurse whose dream was to develop a support network for families struggling to care for a life limited child, who did not have any help or respite from the care their child needed.
Since 2003, the charity has provided practical and emotional support in their own homes, in the community, or in the two hospices in Poole and Devizes, Wiltshire.
More than 65 per cent of the care is still community based - it all started as a fledgling community care service.
Martyn said: “I am now looking forward to my ambassadorial role and I will go wherever they ask me to go, to talk about the charity’s work.
“In bringing this era for me to a close, I can only say that I could not be more proud of Julia’s House, its achievements, its caring touch and concern for the community it serves, and it will always have a place in my heart.”
Martyn is a corporate and commercial lawyer with Rawlins Davy Reeves, and he has been in the legal profession for 50 years. He is also a musician playing in a local band called Fayrewood.
Chief Executive Officer of Julia’s House, Martin Edwards said: “Martyn has been a key figure in the development of Julia's House, serving as its Company Secretary and supporting the founding trustees.
“He has taken great pleasure in seeing our services develop, helping throughout that time.
“I am delighted that he has now become an Ambassador of Julia's House, promoting awareness and understanding of children who need palliative care.”
High profile supporters and patrons of Julia’s House include actor Martin Clunes and film director Guy Ritchie.
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