50th anniversary of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust 

15 April 2015

Queen’s graduate Dr John Copelton attended a special reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Her Majesty The Queen on 18 March. Her Majesty, patron of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, hosted the event to mark its fiftieth anniversary as Sir Winston’s living legacy.

A ‘double’ Queen’s graduate, Dr Copelton, MSc (Pure & Applied Physics) 1971, PhD (Psychology) 2005, is a former Senior Careers Adviser in the Student Guidance Centre at the University, and a former Chair and current committee member of the Northern Ireland Association of Churchill Fellows (NIACF). John undertook his Fellowship in 2007 when he went to the United States to investigate “Challenges and Opportunities in the Third Age”. Since his return he has edited Exploring Retirement a free, online magazine with an international readership that promotes an active, healthy lifestyle in the third age.

Over 5,000 British citizens have been awarded Churchill Fellowships, from over 100,000 applicants since 1965, to travel overseas to study areas of topical and personal interest. The knowledge and innovative ideas they bring back are shared, for the benefit of their profession, their community, and, in lots of cases, the nation. For many people, a Churchill Fellowship proves transformational, and they go on to achieve great things – effecting positive change within society.

Fellows from every decade since 1965 represented the Trust at the reception, as well as representatives from The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust in Australia, and the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States.

To mark its semi-centennial, The Trust has just awarded a record 150 Travelling Fellowships – investing at least £1.3m in British citizens. This year’s Fellows will travel to 58 countries between them, across six continents, where they will carry out a wide range of projects. The average length of a Fellowship is 6 weeks.

Speaking about the anniversary event Jamie Balfour, Director General of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, said: “We were delighted and honoured that the Queen hosted a reception to mark our anniversary year. Sir Winston’s legacy lives on through our Fellows – individuals who, like him, have vision, leadership, a passion with a purpose, and a commitment to help their fellow citizens.”

For further information on The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust please contact 020 7799 1660.

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