Bob Izon

Bob Izon was an outstanding athlete, the English Schools Champion at One Mile and 880 yards which he won in record time. In 1958 he held the world under-16 one Mile record. He qualified as a dental surgeon at the University of Bristol and spent 20 years in Herefordshire caring for children. He was appointed as Chief Executive of the Community Health NHS Trust inspiring ordinary people to achieve extra-ordinary results, the Trust being awarded the "highest achievement for excellence in a public service." A founder member of the Rotary Club of Hereford Wye Valley, he served as a volunteer dental surgeon in Vietnamese refugee camps.. He was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship for outstanding leadership and service in making the world a better place for those less fortunate than ourselves. Bob Izon was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1992, but he continued as Chief Executive for a further eight years. In 2003 at the University of Birmingham Hospital, he had two electrodes implanted into his brain which is a great success in eliminating his symptoms. He remains an inspiration to other sufferers. Bob is a governor at St Paul's CE School, where he is regarded by the children as an inspiration. In 2006, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace and he continues to serve the community as a magistrate on the Herefordshire bench. I recommend him unreservedly and as a "torchbearer" for others, I felt it was time that the light of the Olympic Torch was now shone on him.