AIREDALE Hospital has six new governors.

They have joined the NHS Foundation Trust's 31-strong council of governors following elections.

The representative for the Craven ward, which includes Addingham and Silsden, is Annie Oldroyd.

During the past two decades she has worked as a communications and research consultant developing and managing projects to examine how patients, students, victims of crime and social housing tenants are treated by publicly-funded bodies.

"My work has helped me to understand social and health inequalities, the difficulties faced by patients in times of crisis and the challenges of caring for the chronically sick and disabled," she said.

New governor for South Craven is David Pearson, a retired railway worker.

His career included a spell as an audit officer looking at systems of internal control within old railway workshops.

"This audit process often involved challenging managers – but always in a positive way for the good of the industry – which I believe parallels the role of hospital governors," he said.

"I believe that a council of governors needs a wide range of members in order to best serve the public interest."

West Craven representative is Paul Maskell.

He has worked in the health sector for 15 years, initially for primary care trusts and now for Macmillan Cancer Support as part of its service development team.

"The role of governor is crucial in holding the NHS to account," he said.

Linda Dobson, the new representative for Keighley East, has worked in children's social care for 24 years and for a domestic violence agency.

"I am strongly committed to a high-quality accessible National Health Service," she said.

"I have been a patient at Airedale Hospital and as a parent and grandparent I have a vested interest in the continuous improvement of hospital care for my family and the community."

The new governor for Keighley Central is Liz O'Keefe, who has over 10 years' experience in sales and marketing management.

"The NHS belongs to all of us and being a governor will give me the opportunity to have a say in how it runs and to contribute ideas, enthusiasm and experience," she said.

"Whilst recognising limitations, due to budgets and staffing, it's equally important to celebrate what's positive."

And the Pendle East and Colne governor is Jerry Stanford.

Now retired, he was a navigating officer in the merchant navy, taught in higher education and ran his own business.

He said: "My family and I have used Airedale Hospital for many years and we value the service it provides."

Trust chairman Michael Luger says most people become governors because they want to put something back into their community.

"Their role is to ensure the non-executive directors account for the performance of the board by asking the right questions and considering reports on how the trust is working," he added.

"They also represent the interests of the public and members so need to devote time to finding out what they think."