Former volunteer appointed as CEO of Linlithgow based charity

A former volunteer has been announced as the new CEO of a Linlithgow-based charity which supports children with eczema and their families.

Christine Roxburgh, the new CEO of Linlithgow-based charity Eczema Outreach Support.

Christine Roxburgh initially joined Eczema Outreach Support (EOS) almost a decade ago. After progressing to head of services at EOS, she furthered her skills at Prostate Scotland as services development manager before returning to EOS as CEO.

Christine, a life-long sufferer of eczema, said: “I’m thrilled to be back, it feels like returning home and I can’t wait to catch up with members, supporters and staff.

“It’s going to be a big step up and challenge but I’m excited to get started and hit the ground running.”

Achild member of EOS, Lexi, wearing bandages to help her eczema.

Christine joined EOS as a volunteer in 2012, just a year after it was formed, as she wanted to help children and families with eczema, having suffered herself from the condition since birth.

Looking back, she said: “I really loved working for a non-profit and didn’t want to go back to my corporate job in marketing, so I managed to apply successfully for a grant from a mobile phone company that would pay for you to work with your favourite charity.

"The initial funding was only for six months but we managed to scrape funding from all kinds of places to allow me to keep working and I’ve been in the third sector since.“

As EOS expanded and more staff joined the charity, Christine became head of services in 2016 before leaving for Prostate Scotland in 2020.

But when the opportunity arose to become CEO, she jumped at the chance.

“It’s a huge challenge but I’m so passionate about EOS and everything we stand for. Taking over from the founder Magali is going to be tough, she left big shoes to fill, but I’m excited and have lots of new ideas to share.

“I can’t remember not having eczema, so I completely understand and empathise with our members and what they are going through.

"I know how difficult it can be to access dermatology specialists and the emotional, as well as physical, pain the condition can cause the entire family.

“I am so thrilled to be back at such a vibrant, energetic charity and can’t wait to continue to make a real difference to the families and make sure children and young people with eczema thrive."

The charity was founded in Linlithgow in 2011 by Magali Redding, the mother of a child with eczema who was frustrated at the lack of support for families coping with the condition.

Starting out a local support group, the charity has expanded to a UK-wide organisation that helps almost 3500 children and their families.

You can follow Christine on Twitter @ChristineEOS to keep up to date with the latest EOS news and find out more about how EOS advocates and influences policy.

If you have a child with eczema, you can join EOS for free at www.eos.org.uk.