LUNG cancer charity the Roy Castle Foundation has appointed a new director.
Paul Gauntlett, a former director of marketing with the Samaritans, is director of development.
Mr Gauntlett, who has worked in the voluntary sector for 15 years, will be in charge of fundraising, marketing and public relations.
He said: "This exceptional charity has made great progress over the past couple of years.
"I am relishing the opportunity to drive its marketing, fundraising and communications plans, so it can expand its important work and ultimately defeat lung cancer."
The charity, named after Scholes-born entertainer Roy Castle, is the only lung cancer charity in the world dedicated to prevention, research and patient care.
It is undertaking a 10-year, population-based research study, The Liverpool Lung Project, to identify people at risk of developing lung cancer, monitor changes and develop screening programmes to improve early detection.
Mr Gauntlett joins the foundation from O2 UK, the telecommunications company, with which he has been working for six months on its corporate social responsibility partnership with Weston Spirit.
The latter is a Liverpool- based charity helping disaffected and vulnerable young people.
As a consultant, Mr Gauntlett has worked for such organisations as London First, the London International Festival of Theatre, Friends of the Elderly and The National Academy of Writing.
In addition, he has worked for an organisation that is responsible for the economic and social regeneration of Britain's former coalfields.
Mr Gauntlett, a trustee of his local Citizen's Advice Bureau in Burnley, was also a volunteer with the Samaritans for 24 years and its national vice-chairman for three.
He is in the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, the Institute of Fund- raising and the Institute of Directors.
