Chris Foster, Chairman of Governors at Vane Road until 2013 has received an MBE in the New Year Honours List.
Formerly HEO, Education Standards Directorate Support Team in the Department for Education. he received the award for services to Education and the community in Durham.
Born in Tidworth in Hampshire, educated in Kent, he joined the Civil Service in Brighton in 1987 at the then DHSS. Moved to the Department for Education in Westminster in1999, and relocated to Darlington in 2001. He is married to Louise and they have two children, Matthew (9) and Rosie (7), who go to Vane Road Primary School.
Chris became a governor at Vane Road in September 2001 and was elected chairman in 2006. He saw the school through two Ofsted inspections, improving the school from satisfactory to good.
He left in 2012 and became a governor at Woodham Burn in October 2013. In his spare time Chris likes music and reading, plays five a side football, is captain of Cliffe Cricket Club second team (he was their top run scorer and player of the year last season) and likes to run, having completed 12 Great North Runs.
Apart from his children, Chris is most proud of his work as a governor and his fundraising for charities from running.
When he received the letter telling him he had been awarded the MBE Chris was very surprised, but naturally delighted. “To be recognised for the work that I have done as a governor is a great feeling, and I feel extremely proud. It also gives me a chance to take my children to Buckingham Palace for the ceremony, something that I would have loved when I was their age”.
