From Yorkshire to Norway to increase access to nature for older people
8th July 2024
Annie Berrington founder of Get Out More CIC in Keighley has been awarded a coveted Churchill Fellowship which will enable her to visit Norway to research how the Scandinavian care system overcomes barriers to enabling nature connection for older people living with dementia.
Annie Berrington leading nature connection activities with a group of older people from Herncliffe Care Home, Keighley
Annie Berrington, Managing Director at Get Out More CIC is one of 134 new Churchill Fellows announced by the charity, the Churchill Fellowship. These exceptional individuals come from across the UK representing different backgrounds, experiences, professions, and passions, all united by a common aspiration to inspire change and build a better society based on global learning. Each will have the unique opportunity to explore new ideas and learn from experts and stakeholders around the world, bringing knowledge and innovations back into their chosen field in the UK.
Talking about her award Annie said: “I am thrilled to have been awarded a Churchill Fellowship. I will be visiting Norway to learn from their concept of ‘friluftsliv’ which promotes access to nature for all. I hope to learn from their models for green care and develop an understanding of how we can support more nature-based activities for older people to promote wellbeing and quality of life.”
Alongside Annie, this year’s Fellows will address a wide range of topics including combatting racism in nursing, making towns and cities greener, using AI to support reading, and employing creative arts in dementia care. They will draw on experience and knowledge from innovators in countries across the globe from Ghana to Switzerland, Japan to Brazil.
A Churchill Fellowship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, open to all UK adult citizens, to lead the change they want to see. The charity funds applicants to spend between four to eight weeks meeting experts in their field anywhere in the world, in person and/or online, building international networks that promote reciprocal knowledge exchange. It then helps Fellows to make a difference in their community or professional sector in the UK, based on insights inspired by these exchanges.
Julia Weston, Chief Executive of the Churchill Fellowship says: “We are delighted to welcome our new cohort of Churchill Fellows for 2024 from across the UK and to see first-hand their extraordinary passion and dedication to their respective areas of work.
Through the Churchill Fellowship we aim to inspire and empower these exceptional individuals to become catalysts for positive change. From the spark of an idea to make a difference in a local community to ambitious plans for influencing policy at a national level, we are looking forward to supporting these inspiring Fellows on their journey to make a long-lasting difference to UK society.”
2024’s Churchill Fellows join a community of over 4,000 changemakers who work on the frontline of today’s crucial issues, developing new solutions based on global research and personal expertise. From aged 18 into their 80s and from every corner of all four nations, Churchill Fellows have achieved amazing things, from becoming community leaders and charity founders to embedding new services and campaigning for action in fields from climate change to education, technology to the arts.
