James Partridge


James Partridge is the founder and chief executive of the charity Changing Faces.

Early life

Born in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, and educated at Clifton College, Bristol, Partridge sustained 40% burns to his face, upper body, arms, and hands in a car accident at the age of 18 in 1970. A year later, he went to University College, Oxford, from where he graduated with a master of arts in politics, philosophy, and economics in 1975. After studying for a master of science in medical demography at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he became a health economist in the National Health Service.
He married Caroline Schofield in 1978 and moved to her native Guernsey, where he became a dairy farmer and later worked as an economics teacher. They have three children.

Changing Faces charity

Partridge wrote 'Changing Faces: the Challenge of Facial Disfigurement' about his experience, which was published by Penguin Books in 1990. A series of meetings over the following two years led him to found Changing Faces in 1992.
Changing Faces is a British charity supporting and representing children, young people, and adults who have disfigurements to the face, hands, or body, whether present from birth or caused by accident, injury, or illness or medical episode. It campaigns to change public opinion and combat discrimination, and to help and support those with a visual difference.

Channel 5

On 16 November 2009, Partridge fronted the lunchtime bulletin for a week for channel Five in an attempt to try to break down prejudice.

Awards