A chemist who was knighted for services to chemistry has become a Patron of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care together with his wife.

Sir Simon and Lady Jill Campbell have been supporting the Poole-based charity since March 2019.

Living in the Poole area, and sharing an interest in the work of local charities, Sir Simon and Lady Jill were introduced to the hospice’s then new Chief Executive, Clare Gallie, in March 2019.

They were inspired by the care and support provided to local residents with life-limiting illnesses across Poole, East Dorset and Purbeck.

Since then, the relationship has flourished and the couple have now kindly agreed to become Patrons of the charity.

Sir Simon was formerly Head of Worldwide Research for Pfizer and was closely involved in the discovery of innovative new drugs such as doxazosin, amlodipine and sildenafil (Viagra).

All have proved to be outstanding clinical and commercial successes.

Following retirement from Pfizer, Sir Simon served as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2004 to 2006.

He has acted as a scientific consultant for government, industry and charities, more recently focusing on malaria and TB.

Sir Simon was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999, appointed CBE for services to science in 2006 and was knighted in 2015 for Services to Chemistry.

Lady Jill has specialised in physical education, including secondary schools, yoga and activity classes for those suffering from MS and arthritis.

She is an experienced quilter, and has made previous donations of her handiwork to the hospice.

Clare, pictured left, said: “Sir Simon and Lady Jill’s support has been manifest in many ways over the past year.

“They have helped us move our Closer to Home strategy forward significantly, supported our profile raising initiatives, provided feedback and guidance on our plans, and have attended a number of events in support of both staff and local patients.

“Their interest in our work and valued inputs have been gratefully received in a time of major development for the charity.

“We are honoured that they have agreed to become Patrons of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care and we look forward to continuing working with them in the future.”

Sir Simon and Lady Jill said: “We are delighted to join Lewis-Manning as Patrons.

“We very much appreciate the quality of support that the charity delivers for local residents with life-limiting illnesses, and were impressed by the enthusiasm of the different teams and their vision for the future of hospice care in Poole and surrounding districts.”

• lewis-manning.org.uk