THE Isle of Wight Youth Trust has appointed a new director after the departure of long-serving previous holder of the post, Eileen Monks.
Former human rights lawyer, Mairead Healy, 33, originally hails from Derry in Northern Ireland and previously worked for the European Commission. She also did human rights work in London before setting up a charity in Dublin to help young people.
Mairead, who has settled in Cowes said: "I think the Youth Trust is a fantastic service. At the moment, we support over 800 young people and children through difficult times. It is an interesting time for the organisation. It has been around for 30 years and it is at the heart of the community."
She added: "We will be looking at how we continue to support young people and provide high quality services but I also wanted to pay tribute to Eileen Monks who has been director for more than 16 years."
"She has done incredible work. She has built up the service which has a presence right across the IW, in schools and GP surgeries, as well as its headquarters in Newport."
She also pleaded for financial support for the trust. She said: "We have to raise two thirds of our budget and need to raise more than £250,000 each year. It is great that organisations like the County Press have helped us in the past and we do rely on the support of the local community on the Isle of Wight to continue to provide our services."

Reporter: davidn@iwcpmail.co.uk