I am retired. The main topics of my Fellowship were community consultation and development in terms of community leadership and developing a sense of belonging and pride of place.

The purpose of my Fellowship was to investigate how both elected officials and volunteer community leaders in the various countries I visited used their pride in the local history to develop and implement strategies which created a strong sense of belonging amongst the local population.

I was interested in this principally because my job held responsibility for community and economic development delivering various regeneration programmes requiring community involvement. Also, my holiday experiences of local community celebrations like the annual Medieval Festival in Villeneuve d'Aveyron led me to develop more personal interests in how pride in local history influences people to 'get involved'.

The Fellowship influenced my future actions at work and led to a range of presentations to local groups. These presentations and the enthusiasm for developing empowered community leaders is, I hope, the lasting legacy.