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The founder of a Wirral charity has been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to explore how communities can build greater resilience and move beyond emergency food aid.
According to Birkenhead News, Ema Wilkes, Chief Executive and Founder of Neo Community, will travel to Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, while also collaborating with organisations in Canada.
Her fellowship, Pantry to Power: Scaling Community-Led Food, Health and Youth Leadership, will examine innovative approaches to food dignity, community organising, youth leadership and sustainable community development.
Neo Community was founded by Ema in 2013 in response to a need for social and community support across the Wirral. The acronym stands for need, engage, and organise. Their community centre is based at the Beaconsfield Community House in Rockferry. The charity even received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2021.
She is one of 109 new Churchill Fellows announced by the charity. Each fellow gets funding to spend 1 to 2 months meeting global experts in their chosen field.
On her award, Ema said: "I am incredibly proud and genuinely humbled to have been awarded a Churchill Fellowship. Through Neo Community, I already have the privilege of sharing in people's lives, hearing their stories, witnessing hardship, resilience and the remarkable ways communities come together to support one another.
She continued, saying "food is rarely just food," and that it can lead to conversations, relationships, and opportunities such as learning, volunteering, and connections with the local community.
She added: "Most importantly, I want this Fellowship to belong to our communities. I will include local residents, volunteers, staff, young people and partners in my work through steering groups, so that they help to shape what I learn, sharing ideas along the way and ensuring the learning comes back to Wirral and beyond in practical ways that help communities thrive."
The 2026 Churchill Fellows join a community of over 4,000 changemakers working on critical issues across the UK. If you fancy a chance at making a change, applications to become a Fellow are next open from 1 September to 20 October 2026.
