I work part-time as Charity Administrator for Mid Cheshire Hospitals. My 2014 Fellowship (When Andy Met CAREN), involved travelling across North America researching virtual reality (VR) as a brain injury therapy and was undertaken whilst I was working at BASIC, a brain injury rehab centre in Salford. My research helped set up the first community-based VR rehab service in the UK and continues to serve those in Greater Manchester that have experienced brain or neurological injury.

Although I no longer work in that field, I can testify that the Fellowship continues to positively impact my life. As a full-time wheelchair user, I had never travelled abroad by myself. Completing the Fellowship gave me the confidence and a taste for foreign travel, which is something I would like to do again.

Thanks to the Fellowship, hundreds of people have been helped by the VR services at BASIC. They also provided me with a life-changing opportunity and experience and I will be forever in their debt for that. And to those thinking of applying for a Fellowship – two words: do it!