Before we presented the awards, Camilla Farrell (DH 2017) was invited to share reflections on her time at Downe House. She remembered how Downe shaped and prepared her for her career in investment banking, fostering skills like adaptability, curiosity, determination, and resilience, as well as encouraging her to think ambitiously and independently.

Our four award winners are trailblazers who have given back in different ways.

Chantal Bryan OBE (Suffield-Jones, DH 1995)

Chantal’s son, Jonathan, was non-verbal and attended their local special school where he was given a sensory curriculum and not taught literacy. When he was seven, Chantal decided to teach him herself for a few hours each day. She saw how being able to read and write enabled Jonathan to communicate with his family and friends, and he began to excel. By the age of nine, he was able to leave his special school and attend the local primary school. When he was ten, Jonathan and Chantal set up the Teach Us Too campaign which seeks to challenge attitudes based on labels, influence educational practice, encourage ambition and share good practice. In 2024, Chantal was awarded an OBE in recognition of her work with Teach Us Too. Chantal now delivers presentations to students and professionals, challenging them to think beyond labels to teach children literacy regardless of their label or disability.

It is with great sadness that we learned of Jonathan’s recent death. A Teach Us Too spokesperson said “He showed the world what is possible when we presume competence and truly listen. As those who loved him and continue his vision, we are honoured to carry his light forward.”

Theo Clarke (DH 2003)

Theo has been a prominent spokesperson for women since her election in 2019 as MP for Stafford. During her time as MP, Theo suffered a traumatic experience giving birth to her daughter when she was rushed into emergency surgery, terrified she was going to die. She shared this in an emotional debate in the House of Commons in October 2023. Amazed by the public response, she set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma and subsequently chaired the first ever national inquiry into birth trauma. The inquiry heard harrowing evidence from over 1,300 women, exposing the shocking underinvestment in women’s health in the UK. In November 2024, she launched the Global Birth Trauma Alliance, and thanks to her campaigning there is now a cross-party commitment to improve maternity care. In her new podcast Breaking the Taboo, which began airing in January 2025, and her new book of the same name, she hopes to break the taboo surrounding birth trauma, and start a national conversation that is long overdue.

All episodes of Breaking the Taboo are available to listen to on Spotify or iTunes.

Winky Skevington (Lee, DH 1994)

During her gap year in 1994, Winky began teaching and living in the local community of Kiminini, Kenya. Since then, she has been determined to improve education and raise living standards across the country. Alongside co-founder Will Travers OBE, a renowned wildlife expert, Winky set up The Hummingbird Initiative to empower communities and alleviate poverty through education. Presently, The Hummingbird Initiative works closely with the 19 villages of the Kanjoo sub-location to find local solutions, taking environmental factors into account, and supporting projects that are sustained and maintained by the community themselves, to ensure lasting impact. They focus on the interconnectedness of infrastructure, economy, healthcare and education, creating a ripple effect in community development that leads to long-term poverty alleviation across a greater area. So far, over 3,000 pupils have benefitted from educational development, 963 farms now have a constant supply of water for irrigation, promoting water conservation and agricultural diversification, and 25% of inhabitants have water piped to their homes. The Hummingbird Initiative focuses on developing school infrastructure – classrooms, playgrounds, toilets and washing facilities – whilst enabling access to basic amenities, water infrastructure, economic empowerment and much more in the Meru District of Kenya. Through unwavering dedication, Winky has worked tirelessly to turn her dream into a reality.

Louise Thompson (DH 2008)

Louise first came to prominence as a member of the cast of Made in Chelsea. Since then, she has founded several successful businesses and developed a loyal following with candid social posts on wellness and motherhood. In 2024, Louise published her first book, Lucky: Learning to Live Again, which details her journey through a series of health complications and life-threatening situations following the traumatic birth of her first child, explaining how she found the strength to stay alive and reframe her experience to find joy in life. Through sharing her story so openly on social media and in Lucky, she has platformed women’s issues, including birth trauma, PTSD and Post-Natal Depression. Her willingness to tell this story brings hope and empowerment to women going through similar experiences, bringing attention to the gravity of birth complications which are not always treated with adequate care. Louise’s engagement in charitable work as an ambassador for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, and her prominent support of Young Lives vs Cancer and the Birth Trauma Association speaks to her fierce spirit.