BOLTON Wanderers’ longest serving chief executive has been appointed as a non-executive director at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Allan Duckworth stepped down in May after 14 years at Burnden Leisure, which runs Wanderers and the De Vere Whites Hotel — but is now one of two new nonexecutive directors at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

The 59-year-old has been appointed alongside Gina Ashworth, aged 55, the former director of Health Standards and the clinical director of NHS Central Lancashire.

They are replacing Arthur Rawlinson and Margaret Blenkinsop, who are leaving the trust after each serving two terms of four years.

Mr Duckworth and Mrs Ashworth’s appointments are the latest change at the board, which has seen a shakeup since health watchdog Monitor intervened in August because of the hospital’s financial failings and weak governance.

David Wakefield, who was appointed by Monitor as chairman to replace Cllr Cliff Morris, the leader of Bolton Council, announced the new appointments at the trust’s latest board meeting.

He thanked Mr Rawlinson and Mrs Blenkinsop and said the two new appointments would be an asset to the organisation.

Before taking up his position at the Reebok, Mr Duckworth, a qualified chartered management accountant, worked as a senior consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and finance director at a number of organisations, including sportswear giant Umbro. Mrs Ashworth is a qualified nurse and midwife, who has worked for the NHS for more than 37 years.

It was the final board meeting for four members, the two non-executives and also the chief executive Lesley Doherty and the director of assurance and engagement, Beverley Andrew, who both announced last month that they would be taking early retirement at the end of the year.

It was also the first board meeting for the new chief operating officer Jon Scott, who follows Jeremy Tozer, who left in October, and the interim director of finance, Andy Morris, who replaced Wendy Hull in October