I work at the children's charity Barnardo's where I lead our policy and influencing work on child poverty. Outside of work I love being in the outdoors, from Scouts aged six to more recently completing my Mountain Leader qualifications and Rock Climbing Instructor training.

Young people growing up in poverty in the UK have less access to adventurous activities in wild places. Research shows adventurous outdoor play reduces anxiety and depression in children, particularly in lower-income families. Yet rising costs are making school trips harder to afford and many local authorities have had to cut their outdoor activity programmes. Children from poorer backgrounds are twice as likely to have not visited a natural environment like a beach or forest in the last 12 months.

I want to help change that. For my Fellowship research I will travel to the Pacific Northwest - an area renowned for its outdoors activity sector - to understand what businesses, governments and not-for-profits are doing to address this problem. I want to bring this learning back to the UK to influence systemic change on this issue and explore how I can personally help get more young people on outdoor adventures.