Blogs & conversations
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Blogs & conversations

Churchill Fellows offer their views and advice on topical issues, based on global research and UK activities.

To connect with a Fellow, please go to their Profile page. To find related content, click the tag under each item below. To receive regular blog alerts, sign up at the foot of this page.

If you are a Fellow and would like to write a blog for us, please email digital@churchillfellowship.org to discuss the topic you have in mind.

Amy Davies
Blogs & conversations

Improving the housing experience for older LGBTQ+ people

I’d known about the Churchill Fellowship for years, but my journey began while watching Drag Race Spain last year, where I learned about Fundación 26 de Diciembre, an organisation supporting older LGBTQ+ people in Madrid. This inspired me to apply for a Fellowship, and I was awarded funding to visit LGBTQ+ housing and care projects in Spain, France, Germany, and study online with groups in Sweden and the USA. I’m excited to bring back what I learn to improve housing and care experiences for older LGBTQ+ people here in the UK.

By Amy Davies, 2024

Amy Davies
Blogs & conversations

Improving the housing experience for older LGBTQ+ people

I’d known about the Churchill Fellowship for years, but my journey began while watching Drag Race Spain last year, where I learned about Fundación 26 de Diciembre, an organisation supporting older LGBTQ+ people in Madrid. This inspired me to apply for a Fellowship, and I was awarded funding to visit LGBTQ+ housing and care projects in Spain, France, Germany, and study online with groups in Sweden and the USA. I’m excited to bring back what I learn to improve housing and care experiences for older LGBTQ+ people here in the UK.

By Amy Davies, 2024

Blogs & conversations

Addressing Moral Injury in Ukrainian Veterans

Visiting the military graveyard in Lviv, I was struck by the endless lines of graves adorned with the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine, a reminder of the nobility and futility of war. Working with the HopeFull charity on the 'Hope for the Wounded' project, we aim to create a network of 140 rehabilitation centres where veterans can freely articulate their experiences within a safe and trusted environment. This programme balances body, soul, spirit, and material needs, guiding veterans toward a new future defined by meaningful purpose while recognising their unique challenges, hopes, and dreams.

By Simon Edwards, 2024

Blogs & conversations

In Conversation with: Carole Phillips – ongoing influence of a Fellowship

We spoke to Churchill Fellow Carole Phillips about her journey since receiving a Fellowship ten years ago. As an anti-bullying advocate, Carole shares how her experiences have shaped her work in promoting children's wellbeing. Her Fellowship took her to the USA to study the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme, inspiring her to develop a finalist anti-bullying programme in Wales’s Police Community Awards. Now with Jigsaw Education Group, she supports schools in implementing PSHE content while continuing her advocacy for children affected by bullying.

By Carole Phillips, 2024

Blogs & conversations

In conversation with: Mark Brookes – shining a spotlight on disability hate crime

We spoke to Churchill Fellow Dr Mark Brookes, advocacy lead at Dimensions, who will soon travel to the USA for his Fellowship, where he will share his insights on hate crime reporting and its connection to learning disabilities. With over 20 years of advocacy experience, Mark emphasises the challenges individuals with learning disabilities face when reporting hate crimes and highlights the significant achievements his work has led to, as well as his hopes for improving hate crime reporting and outcomes for disabled individuals in the UK.

By Mark Brookes, 2024

Blogs & conversations

In conversation with: Pete Donnelly – building innovation through lived experience of disability

We spoke to Churchill Fellow Pete Donnelly about his journey from a life-changing accident to empowering disabled communities. Pete shared insights from his Fellowship travels to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, where he learned how the disabled community there use their lived experience to drive social impact. He reflects on the barriers disabled innovators face and the need to give them control over the products and services they use, while highlighting his mission to influence system change in the UK.

By Pete Donnelly, 2024

Blogs & conversations

Counting for change on National Poetry Day

"Today is National Poetry Day and the theme for 2024 is ‘Counting’. I am a poet, a Churchill Fellow and I can count to ten." In her poem for National Poetry Day, Hannah Stanislaus shares her journey as a poet and proud Churchill Fellow, celebrating the transformative power of poetry in education. She reflects on her experiences and advocates for poetry to be recognised as a separate subject in schools.

By Hannah Stanislaus, 2024

Blogs & conversations

World afro day and supporting clients with alopecia

In 2017, UK thought-leader Michelle de Leon founded World Afro Day – a global celebration and liberation of Afro hair and identity that takes place annually on 15th September. This initiative brings attention to the cultural significance of Afro hair and highlights ongoing discrimination faced by Black people in the UK. As someone living with alopecia, I felt a personal connection to this topic, which led me to apply for a Churchill Fellowship.

By Jo-Anne Weekes, 2024

Blogs & conversations

Finding hope for the long-haul

In the early hours of 14 June 2017, I was awoken by the sirens and looked out of my bedroom window to see Grenfell Tower ablaze. Even on that day I knew that our lives had changed forever. As a local resident and Church Worker at Latymer Community Church situated in the shadow of the Tower I was deeply affected by the fire. As the months turned to years, I felt that we desperately needed hope for the long haul and so I applied for a Churchill Fellowship.

By Mary White, 2024

Blogs & conversations

Paying it Forward: The Role of the Thinking Partner

Julie Stokes OBE (CF 1992), who recently gave the keynote speech at our Award Ceremony, carried out her Churchill Fellowship while working as a clinical psychologist in palliative care. She credits her Fellowship with not only helping her NHS work supporting bereaved children but also her career journey and trajectory, from founding the leading children's charity Winston's Wish to her current role as an executive coach and consultant clinical psychologist.

By Julie Stokes, 2024

Blogs & conversations

Paying it Forward: The Role of the Thinking Partner

Julie Stokes OBE (CF 1992), who recently gave the keynote speech at our Award Ceremony, carried out her Churchill Fellowship while working as a clinical psychologist in palliative care. She credits her Fellowship with not only helping her NHS work supporting bereaved children but also her career journey and trajectory, from founding the leading children's charity Winston's Wish to her current role as an executive coach and consultant clinical psychologist.

By Julie Stokes, 2024

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