In 2004 I won a Churchill Fellowship to undertake a study of national parks in New Zealand and Australia in order to explore their relationships with local communities and economies. This was highly relevant to my work in England with the independent Sussex Rural Community Council, assessing the impact of the (then) proposed South Downs National Park on local towns and villages in East and West Sussex. Recently I explored the lessons learnt in a memoir published in 2020 for the centenary of the Rural Community Council movement: A Gnat and a Midwife: Memoirs of an RCC Director.

Since my Fellowship I have worked for the government's former Commission for Rural Communities on planning for sustainable rural communities, retiring in 2010 to work voluntarily for the Town and Country Planning Association, the national Rural Coalition, and as Chair of the Wiltshire Community Land Trust.

The Churchill Fellowship was extremely well run and gave me a unique opportunity to undertake a fascinating and relevant piece of research that would have otherwise not been possible. It truly was 'the chance of a lifetime' and certainly enriched my life. It was also hugely enjoyable and great fun.