Heartfelt tributes have poured in for a 'gifted leader' in Nottingham who made a 'lasting impact in our community'. Leslie McDonald, who was the chair of the board at the New Art Exchange in Hyson Green, has sadly died.
In a poignant tribute, the New Art Exchange posted a photo of him alongside a caption on social media. It reads: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Leslie McDonald, our Chair of the Board and dear friend.
"Leslie's leadership and dedication to building strong partnerships across Nottingham made a lasting impact on our community. Our thoughts are with his loved ones."
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Mr McDonald was also acting as the chief executive at Nottingham Counselling Service, where he joined 17 years ago. In a heartfelt statement on its website, NCS said: "NCS was much more than a job for Leslie, it was a vocation and he dedicated his life in service of building an organisation that has touched not only the lives of those of us who knew and loved him, but also the lives of thousands of people in Nottingham.
"People who desperately needed a counsellor's help and had nowhere and often no one to turn to. Leslie suffused values of care, fairness and integrity through every initiative undertaken by NCS and with attention that was meticulous, built NCS in to the organisation it is today."
It continued: "Leslie pioneered relationships with organisations across Nottingham including serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees for New Art Exchange, membership of Nottingham City Council's Health and Wellbeing Board and as a Steering Committee member representing Black and Asian Minority Ethnic Communities for Nottingham's Integrated Care Partnership. He was a guiding member of a number of community partnerships including BHAG and African Women's empowerment group.
"We have lost a dear friend, a gifted leader and a man who whilst softly spoken and gentle was also fierce in building for the good. Leslie was all of these things and more and we will miss his light most dearly.
"We ask at this time that your thoughts are with Leslie's family and his sources of joy, Kate, Joe and Jess. We will be closing NCS for three days as a mark of respect and the office will re-open on Wednesday, May 3.
"We know that many people knew Leslie well and will wish to have the opportunity to remember him and share our respect. We will share details in due course about plans to honour and recognise the incredible contribution Leslie made."
Further details of the passing of Mr McDonald have not been released.
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