The Churchill Fellowships have been awarded to ten UK housing professionals, including an architect from Inverness, offering them a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel the world and research cutting edge solutions to important topical issues in housing, such as low-energy homes, independent living for older people, support for homeless young women, and intergenerational cohousing.
Catriona Kinghorn, the award recipient, will be travelling to Japan and the US to explore the use of timber in producing low-energy homes before using her findings from overseas to inspire positive change in the UK upon her return.
“We are delighted to offer dedicated awards for new approaches to social and affordable housing,” said WCMT’s chief executive, Julia Weston. “As Churchill Fellows, they will use the inspirational ideas they gather from across the world to become game-changers in their field back home. This life-changing opportunity is open to everyone, with our next round of grants opening on 27th of April.”
The other award winners are: Gita Prasad, who will be travelling to Denmark and the Netherlands to investigate new models of supported independent living for older people; Esther Sample, who will be travelling to Canada, Finland and Sweden to research secure housing for homeless young women; Rosie Hervey, who will be travelling to Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands to explore intergenerational cohousing models; Caroline Gore-Booth, who will be travelling to Canada and the USA to investigate support for disadvantaged people linking housing with training and employment; Nic Bliss, who will be travelling to Canada to investigate approaches to growing the co-operative housing sector; Maureen Corcoran, who will be travelling to Germany to explore alternative approaches to the provision of affordable housing through the private rental sector; Ella Hancock, who will be travelling to Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA to research affordable social cohousing for young people; Anna Hope, who will be travelling to Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the Netherlands to explore new models of bidding for land in support of affordable housing; and Tom Follett, who will be travelling to Germany, Spain and the USA to research the development of cooperative housing.
All winners will receive grants totalling over £60,000 and travel to 13 different countries around the world. They are among 150 people selected for the Churchill Fellowship this year from over 1.000 applicants.
