I'm the Founder and Managing Director of Lads Need Dads CIC, a multi-award-winning social enterprise based in the UK. We provide long-term and early intervention support to boys aged 10-18 who are growing up without a father. My Fellowship focuses on fatherlessness and mentoring. I will travel to the USA and South Africa to explore how successful community-led mentoring projects equip fatherless boys with the guidance, emotional support and male role models they need to thrive.

My motivation for this project comes from over two decades working in frontline services including domestic abuse, substance misuse, homelessness and offending behaviour. Again and again, I witnessed the impact of absent fathers on the lives of men. That experience led me to establish Lads Need Dads in 2015, where I've seen first-hand how early intervention and consistent male mentoring act as powerful protective factors.

I hope to learn from international best practice, build long-term partnerships and bring back insight that can strengthen and scale our programme across the UK - ensuring more boys have the support they need to reach their full potential.