THREE new faces, including a Prestwich councillor, have filled the last remaining vacancies on the local health board.

Coun Timothy Pickstone, along with Dr Ruth Boaden from Ramsbottom and Professor Anne Rogers, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for Fairfield General Hospital.

The Holyrood councillor's career has been mainly in the charity sector and he is currently deputy director of a North West health charity.

Coun Pickstone, who lives in Prestwich, is the Liberal Democrat council spokesman on finances, regeneration and houses. He is also on the governing body of Prestwich Community High and St Margaret's CE Primary School.

Dr Boaden is currently a senior lecturer at the Manchester School of Management, having worked at UMIST for the past 13 years. She has had a professional interest in health service issues since the mid-1990s, particularly in the patient's perspective and in helping NHS staff and organisations to develop.

Dr Boaden has lived in Ramsbottom for the past seven years where she is also a school governor.

Chorley-based Professor Rogers has been employed as a medical sociologist in the faculty of medicine at the University of Manchester since 1996, where she is head of research at the Rusholme Academic Unit. Prior to her university career, the married professor trained as a nurse and worked for the mental health charity MIND.

The appointments complete the membership of the trust board and ensure that the geographical area covered by the board is represented. Non-executive directors receive £5,294 per annum.

Mr Steven Price, chairman of the trust, said: "I am delighted with the appointments made. These individuals will bring a wealth of experience and skills which will greatly enhance and contribute to the work of the trust board. We all look forward to working with them."