Fellows' News
On the launch of her book, A Daughter's Tale, Lady Soames, Fellow Emeritus, spoke to Andrew Marr about her recollections of WWII. Watch a short clip of the interview.

Alice Thwaite, Co-ordinator of our Arts and Older People partnership with the Baring Foundation, recently returned from Australia where she had been invited to give one of the keynote speeches on the work of EqualArts with older people and dementia sufferers. She was also presented with an award for EqualArts' Outstanding Innovation in Arts & Health. Information on the Arts in Health conference is available on their website with a video of Alice's speech.

Fellows' Reports
Jo Best - Integrative Trauma Support and Complementary Therapies

David Martin - From custody to community: a more realistic and helpful approach

David Slater - Growing Old Creatively: staying valued and engaged

Rob & Nikki Wilson - On the Up: Inspirational stories of changemakers transforming Africa

Fellows' News
Alternative Restoratives and Lynette Robinson are offering another opportunity for all professionals who work with children, parents and/or families to increase their understanding and awareness of the emerging issue of adolescent to parent violence. The event will take place on 1st March 2012 in Wakefield. 

Fellows' Blogs
Amy Smith had a fascinating day on Randolph Tower in Chicago. Her Fellowship is in architectural terracotta of which the tower is a brilliant example. As the building is being renovated Amy was able to crawl all over the building with the contractors and her blog entry is worth a read.

Another blog to highlight is Peter Whitbread-Abrutat's, he's 'chasing the sun' to look at world class landscape restoration and is currently in Carajas.

Churchill News
Ottawa now has it's own Sir Winston Churchill Society, launched on his 137th birthday, last week. Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives in Cambridge was at the High Commissioner's residence, to deliver a speech. He recorded a short interview prior to his speech.

Fellows' Reports
David Martin - From custody to community: a more realistic and helpful approach

David Slater - Growing old creatively: staying valued and engaged

Fellows' Updates 

Many congratulations to Becky Rogerson and her team at My Sister's Place who have received a National Award for innovation and best practice from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Becky acknowledged the investment of WCMT in their achievement and said, ‘...it's a big award for a small service and I hope the shape of things to come as I have a raft of ideas to put into practice and a good team of people alongside.' 


 
Another award to report, this time for Best Event in a Public Space which went to the team at the The Natural History Museum Crime Scene Live. Fellow Andy Hart helped run the fingerprint section for this multi-award winning event, last year and again this year.

Wynford Owen, and his team at The Living Room Cardiff, are hoping to get their excellent promotional video on TV and into cinemas. To achieve this they need a million hits. The Living Room provides ongoing emotional and psychological support in a peer-led community setting, with professional help from experienced recovery coaches in a supportive environment. Wynford's Fellowship took him all over the US where he looked at Alternative non-clinical addiction recovery techniques, many of which are incorporated into The Living Room's approach. Help them achieve their goal by watching their short but powerful video.

James Cowan and his wife are currently travelling around the world (not on a Fellowship!) and whilst in Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand they spotted Sir Winston's motor yacht YVALDA, on Lake Wakatipu and sent us this photo:

 

Fellow Graham Burgess is currently involved with the International Peace Garden, established in 1932 in Canada. The ongoing project aims to place three rocks, one each from the USA, Canada and the UK in a special sculpture honouring Native Americans. The three rocks will tour their respective nations to be touched by as many people as possible as a symbol of peace and friendship. If you'd like to take part in this project or to know more, please contact Graham on graham@gyrdan.deomon.co.uk or by telephone on 01256 892 897.

Fellows' Updates
Whilst on his Fellowship in the US, David Slater, who runs Entelechy Arts and works with older people, encountered a group of seniors who were making a soap opera. He connected them with his group back in the UK and they started making alternate episodes, finally concluding with an ambitious plan to make a joint episode over Skype. Check out the transatlantic soap opera in the clip below and read the latest update on David's blog.

Fellows' Reports
Jessica Aslan - Overseas development of digital tools to facilitate music workshops  See the related website, www.generatormusic.co.uk/volt.html.

Yvonne Barrett - Exploring proven vocational rehabilitation models

Fellows' Blogs
Helen Woodcock is travelling in Spain looking at increasing sustainable food access, her blog makes very interesting reading.

Blogging Fellows
Have a look at Amy Smith's fascinating blog entry on Boston Valley Terra Cotta. The company has gone from  brick manufacturing, to flowerpots and is now one of only two architectural terracotta manufacturers in the USA. Amy explains and illustrates, with photos, the processes they use - the end results are impressive.

Rob and Nikki Wilson have uploaded the final entry from their journey through Africa meeting inspiring social entrepreneurs. One of the people they met was Sherif who 30 years ago quit his job, bought a piece of beach and built on it one of the world's first eco resorts - Basata. The blog includes a video clip of Sherif talking about his work.

Fellows' Reports
Umran Ali - From community programme to world class tennis

Robert Moon - Plasmodium knowlesi in Malaysia: bringing the fifth human malaria parasite from the field to the lab