A KEIGHLEY social enterprise founder has been awarded a coveted fellowship to carry out research in Scandinavia.
Annie Berrington, founder and managing director of Get Out More CIC, will visit Norway to study how the Scandinavian care system overcomes barriers to enable nature connection for older people living with dementia.
She is among 134 people from across the UK announced as latest recipients of the Churchill Fellowship.
Mrs Berrington said she was "thrilled" to be one of the successful applicants.
She added: "I will be visiting Norway to learn from its concept of ‘friluftsliv’, which promotes access to nature for all.
"I hope to learn from the country's 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."
Get Out More runs forest schools and other outdoor programmes in parks, woodlands and green spaces.
Since its launch around 12 years ago, it has helped tens of thousands of people from across the Bradford district to engage with nature.
Churchill Fellows are awarded funding to research new ideas and best practice overseas.
They meet practitioners in their chosen field, engage with projects and create a report on their findings.
Ideas are then shared with communities and sectors in the UK, and turned into action.
The fellowship was set up in 1965 as a 'living legacy' of Sir Winston Churchill.
Julia Weston, chief executive of the Churchill Fellowship trust, 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.
"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, drawing on experience and knowledge from innovators in countries globally."
The next round of applications for fellowships will open on September 4.
For more details, visit churchillfellowship.org
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