Would experience overseas enhance your effectiveness in your career or field of interest? Could you bring back knowledge and best practice for the benefit of others in your job? In this month of commemoration of the D-Day Landings we want to draw the attention to the work of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Following the death of Sir Winston Churchill, our leader during the dark days of the Second World War, many people contributed to a fund in his memory in gratitude and respect for his wartime service. The Fund raised £2.3 million, a huge sum of money in those days, equivalent to about £40 million today. Over 100 people every year are awarded grants to work or study abroad. These include people of all ages and from all walks of life. Dr Ann Myatt, Consultant Dermatologist at Westmorland General Hospital and our Parliamentary Candidate, says:
‘I was fortunate enough to be awarded one of these fellowships when I was a junior doctor to study the investigation of skin disease related to my work. I went to Denmark and the experience I gained there helped me improve services in the hospitals where I worked, but the lasting impression I have is of the welcome I received from everyone I met there, all of whom held Sir Winston Churchill in high regard. It was humbling to witness the awe and affection that his name inspired. I would urge anyone to consider applying for one of these fellowships. It definitely is the chance of a lifetime.’
Last year a grant was awarded to a Red Squirrel Ranger from Cumbria – read about her experiences in the Westmorland Gazette.
The categories open for applications this year are wide ranging and include one for young people. Applications close on September 23rd – for more information see their website at www.wcmt.org.uk.