Lumos today (29 July 2010) announces that it has appointed a new interim Chief Executive to replace Dr Richard Alderslade who stands down as Chief Executive of the charity from the end of the month.  Dr Alderslade is leaving to work with the Regional Office of the World Health Organisation in Copenhagen.

The Board of Lumos has appointed Stephen Dunmore as interim Chief Executive on an eight-month contract from Monday 26 July 2010 to 31 March 2011.  The full time CEO post will be advertised shortly.

Sir Roger Singleton, Trustee of Lumos, said: "On behalf of the board, I would like to extend our thanks to Dr Alderslade for his work over the past four years.  He has steered the charity through a period of growth - taking us from a very small start-up charity operating in one country to a multi-programme approach working to instigate change in several countries in Eastern Europe - and an extensive and succesful re-branding of the organisation.

"We are delighted to be welcoming Stephen Dunmore to the role of interim Chief Executive.  Stephen has a wealth of experience in the voluntary sector.  Prevously Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, he has more recently held senior strategic roles at the BBC's independent Charity Appeals Advisory Committee and The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. He will bring a fresh, strategic approach to the future direction of the organisation and we look forward to working with him."

Stephen Dunmore said: "I very much look forward to leading a charity that is doing so much to transform the lives of institutionalised children in Moldova and the Czech Republic, working closely with governments and communities in these countries and beyond.  Key priorities will be to develop a medium term business plan covering all areas of Lumos' work - our demonstration projects, advocacy, advisory role and fundraising - and to ensure that we have in place organisational structures that can best meet the challenges of our vision for change."

To find out more about the charity's work, visit www.lumos.org.uk.

Ends/...

For further information, please contact: Amy MacLaren or Ellie Backhouse at Colman Getty:

T: +44 (0)20 7631 2666 │ +44 (0)7980 843 088

E: amy@colmangetty.co.uk  │ ellie@colmangetty.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Stephen Dunmore may be available for interview. Please contact Colman Getty.

About Lumos

Lumos is a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children (registered charity number: 1112575). We want to end the systematic institutionalisation of disadvantaged children across Europe.

We want to see children living in safe, caring environments. We believe this should be the case for all children, whether they're disabled, from an ethnic minority or from an impoverished background. We know our vision is ambitious. We understand that removing children from institutions isn't - in itself - enough. We must work with governments, policy makers and practitioners to enable children to grow up in a family-type setting.

We do this in two ways:

• By being practical and strategic

We have begun pilot initiatives in the Czech Republic and Moldova. We also provide technical assistance to initiatives in other countries that are led by other agencies, such as our work with UNICEF in Montenegro. And we provide a range of professional resources - a telephone support service, toolkits, manuals - to practitioners working in countries to help them close down institutions, and replace them with high quality care.

• By campaigning and advocating

We provide expert advice at the highest level, including governments, United Nations bodies and European institutions. We facilitate peer-to-peer support, bringing together practitioners on the ground with practitioners in the UK to help give children childhoods. We work with children so they have a voice and are involved in the deinstitutionalisation process. We raise awareness, in the UK, in Europe and across the globe, so that, one day, children won't be locked away: so they can enjoy their childhood.

About our work

Lumos is currently working on major reform programmes in the Czech Republic and Moldova. 

The charity has been assisting the Czech government to develop a National Action Plan for the reform of all its services for vulnerable children and families.  It is now working in the county of Pardubice, helping the local authorities to transform all of their large residential institutions for children.  In Moldova, the charity is supporting the government and local authorities to implement large-scale de-institutionalisation programmes as well as an initiative aimed at significantly reducing infant mortality.

Lumos has also been providing advice and support to the European Commission in Brussels on the best way to use funding for reforming the child social protection system in Bulgaria.  We are now setting up a major programme in the country to help accelerate and improve the process of de-institutionalisation.

Stephen Dunmore

Stephen was appointed Chair of Capacitybuilders (a Non-Departmental Public Body) in October 2009, having spent a year as a non executive board member. Stephen's former roles include chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund and chief executive of the New Opportunities Fund. He has also been interim chief executive of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and of the Responsible Gambling Fund/Responsible Gambling Strategy Board. Currently, he is Chair of National Family Mediation (a charity), Chair of the BBC's Charity Appeals Advisory Committee, a member of NCVO's Funding Commission and a trustee of the Prince of Wales Countryside Fund.

Our Board

The Board of Trustees of Lumos are: J. K. Rowling (Chair), Dr Kazem Behbehani, Bryan Ellis and Sir Roger Singleton.