Steve Hawkins
Presented by Steve Collett
Honourable Pro-Chancellor, I have pleasure in presenting Steve Hawkins for the award of an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.
Steve Hawkins has worked for the charity Local Solutions for over three decades; ten of those years have been as Chief Executive.
Local Solutions started life as the Merseyside Council for Voluntary Service in 1974, but latterly became known as Local solutions in 2000 refocusing its efforts on initiating a range of programmes to combat poverty and provide opportunities for people to improve the quality of their lives. That continues to be the primary aim still today, and the charity has played a fundamental role in improving the lives for many thousands of disadvantaged people across Liverpool and the North West.
The Guardian has called it a “hugely impressive” charity where “frugal innovation runs through its veins”, where “small changes, employing familiar ingredients, costing comparatively little, can make a big difference in surprising ways.” An example of this “frugal innovation” being its call for hotels to offer a room for the night and breakfast for carers who experience stress, social isolation and mental health problems as a result of looking after a relative with little respite.
The charity also runs other innovative programmes tackling bullying and domestic violence, offering training to the unemployed, providing a debt advice service, as well as running a hostel for young homeless and its water sports centre for the disabled and the homeless.
A graduate of the University of Lancaster, where he studied Politics and International Relations, Steve has spent all of his professional life working tirelessly in the voluntary sector and the NHS. His career began as a volunteer supporting homeless people in the night shelter in Liverpool Metropolitan’s Cathedral Crypt. In a parallel career, Steve has served as a Non-Executive Director in the NHS, including eight years as Chairman of Merseycare NHS Trust. He has also served as a Trustee on a number of charities, most recently as a Trustee of The Reader Organisation.
Steve has helped build an organisation which brings hope and encouragement to many people who need it most; unemployed young people, the homeless, the disabled, families struggling to get by. Steve and his team give opportunities to people who may not have had the chances that we do and for that his hard work is worthy of the utmost recognition.
Thus, it is with great pleasure that I present Steve Hawkins for admission to our highest honour, as an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University.
