For immediate release – 21^st May 2008

FNF elects new Chair on sad day for fathers.

• Families Need Fathers (FNF) pleased and proud to announce Charles Kenyon as new Chair of Trustees. 

• Charity’s Chair elected on the day that the Human Fertility & Embryology Bill removes the ‘need for a father’.

Charles Kenyon, longstanding member and trustee, has been elected to lead the National Committee of Families Need Fathers. Charles, who has been closely involved with many charities over the last twenty years including Theatre Alive!, Bells Almshouses (Lincolnshire) and the Cherub Theatre Company London, takes over from John Baker, who remains a trustee after serving for four years as Chair. Charles is married with two sons, works in public relations and lives in Lincolnshire.

However, the news comes as MPs voted down an amendment to the Human Fertility & Embryology which would require doctors providing fertility treatment to continue considering ‘the need for a father’. Instead, they must now consider ‘the need for supportive parenting’. For more on this, please see the FNF press release from 19^th May 2008.

Charles said: "This is a sad day to take the chair of Europe’s biggest fathers’ support & lobbying organisation, when the UK legislature has just voted that fathers are no longer essential in children’s upbringing. I am deeply honoured and proud to be elected to lead the board of Families Need Fathers. We will continue to strive to help the 3 million children in Britain who, for whatever reason, cannot live with both their parents to gain their right to shared parenting and we will do this by keeping up our lobbying pressure and increasing our support services throughout the United Kingdom.”