The chief executive of Galop, which supports LGBT+ survivors of abuse and violence, is to step down to focus on supporting her terminally ill mother

Leni Morris is to leave at the end of this month after four years at the charity to focus on caring for her mother, who who has “a highly aggressive form of cancer”, she said.

In a LinkedIn post she said the charity had been “incredibly supportive” in recent months while she took time off to support her mother.

“As the only child of an immigrant single parent, we have always been the only family either of us really had and, while Galop has been my life and focus for almost four years, my mother is my priority for the time she has left,” she said.

“It has been a genuine honour and a privilege to be able to support and serve my community as CEO. I am so proud of how the organisation has grown in my time, the number of services we’ve been able to launch, and the work we’ve done to ensure that the voices of LGBT+ survivors of abuse and violence are better heard.

“This is work that continues to be incredibly important and deserves a leader who is able to give it the focus it deserves which, right now, I am not able to do.”

The charity said it is “incredibly grateful for the years of passion and commitment Leni has brought to Galop, and wish her and her family the best during this challenging time”.

The charity’s deputy chief executive Amy Roch will continue acting as interim chief executive as Galop looks for a permanent replacement.

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