LandWorks, the award-winning rehabilitation and resettlement charity has announced the appointment of Dr Sarah Wollaston as its new Chair of Trustees.

Dr Wollaston, an existing member of the LandWorks Board, will take over the role from Ted Tuppen, who is standing down at the end of his permitted term as Chair.

Dr Wollaston, former GP and MP for Totnes between 2010-19, has been a member of the LandWorks board since September 2020.

Alongside an extensive medical career, Dr Wollaston was Chair of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee and she led an inquiry into the state of healthcare in prisons in 2018.

Ted Tuppen has been part of LandWorks since its inception and has played a pivotal role in guiding and championing the charity through a decade of development and increasing national recognition.

His leadership of the board has helped to ensure that hundreds of participants – people leaving prison or serving community sentences and at risk of offending - have been supported into employment and a positive crime-free life.

At their meeting, the trustees also appointed Mark Yallop CBE as a new member of the board.

Mark is an experienced financial services leader and dedicated supporter of charitable and community organisations.

His career has included senior roles with the Bank of England and the Financial Markets Standards Board and he is currently Deputy Chair and co-founder of QantX LLP, a South West based venture fund working with six universities.

Chris Parsons, LandWorks Director, paid tribute to Ted’s long-standing commitment to LandWorks and welcomed Sarah and Mark to their new roles: "Ted has been with LandWorks from the very beginning and has been instrumental in shaping who we are today.

“On behalf of the entire LandWorks team and the many participants whose lives have been changed, I want to offer our deepest thanks.

"We are delighted to welcome Sarah as our new Chair.

“Her understanding of social justice, her extensive public service experience, and her dedication to LandWorks make her ideally placed to lead the board as we enter the next chapter of our work.

“I am also delighted that Mark has agreed to join the board, bringing extensive experience, financial expertise, and a real commitment to the work of the charity.”

Ted Tuppen CBE, outgoing Chair of Trustees, said: "It has been a privilege to serve LandWorks and to witness the extraordinary impact the team has on the lives of some of the most marginalised people in our communities.

"I leave the role knowing that the charity is in the very best hands. Sarah brings insight, compassion and leadership, and I have every confidence that LandWorks will continue to thrive."

Dr Sarah Wollaston, the new Chair of Trustees said: "I want to thank Ted for his outstanding leadership and his deep commitment to LandWorks since the very start and I feel very honoured to be appointed as the next Chair of trustees.

“I look forward to working alongside all the team, trainees, graduates and volunteers as this amazing charity continues to prove there is a better way forward to help people caught in the criminal justice system by promoting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.”