Above photo: NPI’s Howard Good (left) with Richard Mayhew of the Nazareth Trust (right)

For the past eight years, The Nazareth Project has worked closely with Richard Mayhew as the CEO of the Nazareth Trust — our primary partner in Nazareth. Richard will complete his service in that role at the end of this year. Below is the official announcement from the Nazareth Trust Board. NPI is grateful for the excellent collaboration that we have experienced with Richard. 

I am writing to let you know that Richard Mayhew has decided to step down from his current role as CEO of the Nazareth Trust, which will become effective on 31st December this year. Richard has been with us as CEO for over 8 years, a full term for a CEO of such a charity. Richard has been discussing his future plans with us over the summer months and reached a final decision to leave in early October. 

As a Board, we have witnessed under his leadership significant growth in all our activities and seen firm foundations being laid by Richard for the future of the Trust’s activities in Nazareth. We recognize that this task has been difficult in the face of a pandemic and our financial challenges of last year. We have admired Richard’s determination to face such challenges head on, to successfully build a talented team to take forward our activities in the Nazareth Hospital, the Nazareth Academic School of Nursing, the Nazareth village, Serve Nazareth and the Pastoral Team, as well as building impressive support for our activities in the USA. 

We want to take this opportunity to thank him for his considerable efforts as CEO and wish him well for the future. We will be seeking to support Richard as he seeks new roles and challenges closer to home in the UK. From 1st January, Waseem Dibbini, currently Richard’s Deputy, will become Acting CEO for the Trust, as we consider as a Board over the first quarter of 2024 the best way forward. We will, of course, seek to keep you informed on the future leadership of the Trust. 

I wish to thank all our supporters for your continuing prayers for the Nazareth Trust, and prayers for the safety of our staff and their families in Nazareth. We are a Christian institution, so we hope and pray with confidence in our Lord that we will be able to witness to our faith in this difficult time by bringing words of peace and healing to all whom we serve through the work of the Nazareth Trust. 

– Geoffrey Spence, Chair of Board of the Nazareth Trust