I am a Trustee of Richmond Charity Almshouses, Kingston Hospital Charity and chair Poems in the Waiting Room. I spent 34 years as a local councillor, ending as Leader of Richmond upon Thames Council. I organise walks for older people, converse in French (learnt though my Fellowship,) play in a ukulele band and run regularly.

My Fellowship looked at housing and urban renewal in France and the United States. It was an important influence on my various roles chairing large housing associations, a grant-giving body and Kingston NHS Hospital Trust, mentoring council leaders, being a director of financial institutions in tourism and as a local councillor.

The main focus of the Fellowship was to look at the impact legislation could have in improving housing outcomes. I believe in the importance of good housing and have also chaired the body tackling rough sleeping in London. My Fellowship helped me to understand the context within which I was working and, I hope, improved my decision-making.

Personally, I very much value my experience as a Churchill Fellow. It enabled me to look closely at American attempts to deal with poverty and French urbanisme, as well as learning French.