Connect and Inspire 2025: Welcoming our New Fellows
In early July, we were thrilled to welcome our 2025 Churchill Fellows to London for their first in-person gathering: Connect & Inspire. This event brings together our newest cohort – 118 individuals from across the UK – to help them build connections, hear from previous Fellows, and begin shaping their Fellowship journey.
The day featured welcome remarks from Chief Executive Julia Weston, who encouraged our Fellows to be brave, ambitious, and patient; inspiring talks from past Fellows Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, Joy O’Neill, Kerry Cressey, and Pete Donnelly; and themed workshops where new Fellows could explore their project areas in more depth. We were also joined by members of our Advisory Council, Trustees, partners and supporters. The event closed with a networking reception, giving everyone a chance to connect informally and continue the conversations.
“If I had to sum up the event in one word, it would be galvanising – or perhaps even catalytic. It didn’t just bring us together as Fellows; it set something in motion.” – Samuel Huczmann, Churchill Fellow
"Connect & Inspire truly lived up to its name. It was incredibly powerful to be in a room full of changemakers, each committed to shaping a more just and hopeful world." – Dr. Chiedza Ikpeh, Churchill Fellow
“The people here, they're all trying to make something positive happen.” – Lucy Parker, Advisory Council Chair and Trustee
“It's made me excited to get started, I just want to get going.” – Georgina Shelley, Churchill Fellow