Mike Spencer (CF 2025) reflected on the first year since beginning his Churchill Fellowship travels across the USA and Canada, and the progress of his pioneering work using Eurasian otters to locate missing people in water.
By Mike Spencer, 2026
Governance and public provision
About this theme
This theme covers all aspects of the functioning and services of the state, including public services, governance and political processes, rule of law and international relations. It is one of the eight universal themes which form our grantmaking framework and allow us to address every aspect of society. Fellows’ stories
Sarah Walters reflects on how her Churchill Fellowship learning from the USA and Canada continues to shape her work to end women’s homelessness in the UK. Her visits showed the power of gender-informed, trauma-aware services designed around women’s experiences, from specialist housing to support that helps women rebuild their lives. She shares how this learning informed a women-only respite hotel as part of Crisis at Christmas 2025, and how it continues to inspire change in services for women experiencing homelessness.
By Sarah Walters, 2026
Gill Taylor (CF 2025) spoke at a Pathway – Homeless and Inclusion Health Masterclass, sharing preliminary learning from her Churchill Fellowship research in Canada.
By Gill Robin Taylor, 2026
Jeannot Farmer (CF 2023 ) was in the public gallery at the Houses of Parliament on 2nd of July, when Sir Prime Minister Keir Starmer made his profound apology to those affected by historic adoption practices that forcibly separated babies from their unmarried mothers. Jeannot was honoured to be invited by the Secretary of State for Education to an event in Speaker’s House following the apology.
By Jeannot Farmer, 2026
By Sarah Smith, 2024
Bernie Rochford (CF 2024) spoke at a WhistleblowersUK event in the House of Commons during Whistleblowing Awareness Month 2026.
By Bernie Rochford, 2026
Al Coates (CF 2024) presented at The NVR Global Conference, sharing learning from his work with adoptive parents experiencing challenging and aggressive behaviour from their children.
By Al Coates, 2026
Following her Fellowship across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Clare Holdsworth reflects on how paid lived-experience roles can support care-experienced young people to shape services, policy, and practice. Drawing on conversations with organisations, professionals, and young people, she explores what it takes to make these roles psychologically safe, meaningful, and supportive of long-term careers. She is now sharing this learning in Sheffield, using curiosity as a way to ask better questions with young people, not just about them.
By Clare Holdsworth, 2026
Jeannot Farmer (CF 2023) worked in partnership with MAA Scotland (The Movement for an Adoption Apology Scotland) and Dr. Stella Bolaki of the University of Kent to deliver and take part in two artist's book workshops in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
By Jeannot Farmer, 2026
Mike Spencer (CF 2025) won the Innovator of the Year award at the Global Search & Rescue Excellence Awards, recognising his work pioneering the use of Eurasian otters in UK search and rescue.
By Mike Spencer, 2026