JACK Gillum, a recent University of Reading graduate from Knighton, was presented with a Churchill Medallion at a prestigious award ceremony in London on June 13.

The medallion was awarded to Jack to mark the successful completion of his overseas research as a Churchill Fellow.

For his Fellowship, Jack travelled to the USA and Canada to investigate the role that civil society can play in the policy making process with a specific focus on the role of young people. Jack has been sharing the learning which he gained from his fellowship with UK organisations and plans to continue that.

Speaking about his Fellowship, Jack said, "My travels overseas gave me innovative ideas for how we can improve the policy making process by doing things differently. Government and civil society do not need to be enemies, they can work successfully in creating better policy for all citizens. Being a Churchill Fellow was a life-changing experience because of it gave me the experience of travelling to the USA and Canada to begin with but then also the opportunity to meet some exceptional organisations which had ideas about how UK organisations could do things differently. I'd urge anyone who wants to make a difference in their chosen field to apply for a Churchill Fellowship."

The Fellowships were set up in memory of Sir Winston Churchill on his death in 1965, and over 5,400 Fellowships have been awarded since then. Anyone can apply, regardless of age, qualifications or background.

Churchill Fellows are funded to travel for four to eight weeks overseas, researching new ideas that can make a difference to their communities or professions in the UK.

Applications are now open until 18 September 2018, for travel in 2019, at wcmt.org.uk