The Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR) has announced that Brigid Simmonds and Tim Lamb have been appointed as its new chair and chief executive.

Simmonds, who is the chief executive of Business In Sport and Leisure (BISL), will succeed Howard Wells as chair. She said: “I am delighted to be taking over from Howard Wells. He led CCPR for four years with real distinction, including driving the successful campaign to create Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) with rate relief and tax advantages.”

Tim Lamb is the former chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). His appointment was welcomed by Simmonds: “One of our key objectives was to create a leadership team to push on the CCPR’s work. In Tim we have someone with a proven record as an elite performer and chief executive of a governing body.”

Lamb added: “The organisation has achieved an enormous amount over the past few years and I am looking forward to leading it into the next phase of its development. I shall be working hard to serve the interests of the CCPR’s many and varied member organisations and also to ensure that sport, recreation and the needs of the voluntary sector remain as high as possible on the political agenda.”