Sad news about our founder

It is with great sadness that we report our founder and CEO Martha Wansbrough has passed away on 4 January 2021 after a year-long battle with cancer.

Martha worked with disadvantaged young people for over 20 years, first in Russia and then the UK. She believed passionately in our mission at Drive Forward to enable care-experienced young people to achieve their full potential through sustainable employment.
 
She put the young people we support at the heart of everything. Her dedication meant that she worked throughout her illness, right up the end – securing new funding, finding employment opportunities and ensuring our young people had the support they needed during the pandemic.
 
Martha has inspired individuals and she has inspired a community. She has created a platform for care-experienced people. She provided young people with a voice to shape policy decisions, with a home, and with a family to connect with others over a shared experience. She’s given young people the confidence to give back to others facing similar struggles. Martha has built a community where it did not exist before.
 
While everyone at Drive Forward will miss her, we will honour her memory by continuing to fight for and support care-experienced young people with the same passion and dedication as Martha.
 

A memorial service will take place on Monday 18th January at 10am. If you’d like to attend virtually and join us in a celebration of Martha’s inspiring life and achievements, please get in touch.

Martha's legacy book

In her tireless fight against injustice, Martha has touched many peoples' lives. She believed in them and encouraged them to create change for themselves. Share your story. Continue her mission.

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