A FORMER senior banker has been named as the new vice-chairman of one of the region’s leading supported housing charities.

Rod Jones, former regional retail director at Barclays, has taken on the board role at Norcare, in Newcastle.

Norcare runs projects across the North-East helping vulnerable people to lead more independent lives.

Mr Jones has been an independent consultant since the end of 1999, with a client base including the Guinness Trust, The Social Enterprise Loan Fund – for whom he is retained as regional director North-East – and Northumbria University, where he advised its Sustainable Cities Research Institute on financial inclusion projects.

Bill Midgley, Norcare chairman, welcomed the appointment, saying Mr Jones brings a strong combination of skills to the role.

“Rod’s involvement in both the social sector and his business expertise is an excellent addition not only to the Norcare board which he joined recently but also to the role of vice-chairman,” he said.

Mr Jones has also been involved in a number of projects and posts, including being a member of the regional board of the Big Lottery and a director of the Co-Op Heritage Centre.