JULIA Clark, the director of income generation at the Malton-based Encephalitis Society, has been named one of the 25 most influential fundraisers in the UK.

The honour came from the Civic Society and its fundraising magazine. Julia joined the charity in November 2016 and helped oversee World Encephalitis Day in 2017 and 2018 and introduced one of the charity’s most successful fundraisers, the Accumulator Challenge which raised over £14,000 in 2017.

One voter said: “Julia is innovative and tenacious in seeing projects through. She has brought light into what some might say are the darkest times in the charity sector. She brings such amazing energy in her role and an unwavering passion."

Julia only discovered her appearance by chance. “I found out I had made the list by reading a LinkedIn post from someone who hadn’t made it, so I had a quick look out of nosiness,” she said.

“When I saw my name on there I was astounded and felt very proud. It’s a personal achievement, of course, but also an acknowledgement of the amazing work the Encephalitis Society do, every single day.”

Before joining the Encephalitis Society, Julia was director of fundraising at Yorkshire Cancer Research, and was in that role as a member of the senior management team for the previous 18 months. She has also been head of regional fundraising at SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.