ON behalf of the Trustees, stalwart volunteers and guests, the Chair has announced that The Chocolate Run has a new Patron, Dame Claire Bertschinger.

The chair has said: “Some of your will have met her Claire as she volunteers for us on Sundays and at Christmas. She joined us last Christmas as a new volunteer and like many others, rolled her sleeves up & got stuck in, covering many shifts. It was only when I followed her on Twitter that I realised exactly who she is and WOW, I was completely blown away by her life’s work so far. Claire has worked as a nurse for the Red Cross in some of the most difficult and dangerous place in the world, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Sierra Leone. It was her work in Ethiopia that inspired Bob Geldof to launch Band Aid then Live Aid.

Claire was honoured as Dame Commander of the British Empire by the Queen in 2010 New Years Honours List. She was made Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire in 2012, which means that she can deputise on behalf of the Queen. She has been voted one of the 10 most influential female nurses of all time, and one of the five women who shaped the Red Cross.

Claire now works as Course Director for the Diploma in Tropical Nursing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. There’s more about her here.

Claire shares The Chocolate Run’s beliefs on basic human rights and is most certainly one of life’s most humble heroines. After her incredible life’s work she continues to have an overwhelming desire to help others, which is most infectious when you meet her.

The Chocolate Run asked Claire Bertschinger to be our Patron for her wealth of experience in our field and her natural warmth when working with others more vulnerable. With Claire’s extensive experience, we on the Committee can learn more about how we can further expand our work within the Community.

The Chocolate Run is delighted that Claire has accepted the position of Patron and when asked to say a few words, she wrote;

“I was working in Ethiopia in the 80’s when drought and bad government created a famine of epic proportion and I witnessed thousands of families die due to lack of food and shelter. Knowing that globally we had the resources to prevent these deaths still haunts me today. A bed and some food is one of the basic human rights created by the United Nations 1948 Declaration – and yet in the UK in 2016 we’re struggling to ensure that every one has this basic human right. The Chocolate Run works hard in my community to make sure this basic right is available to all and I’m happy to support and champion them.”