The Peter Kirk European Scholarship

I'm extremely pleased and excited to have been awarded a Peter Kirk European Travel Scholarship. The scholarships - which were set up to commemorate the work of the late Sir Peter Kirk MP - include a grant of £1,500 to enable young people from the UK and Europe to conduct a research project in a country other than their own. They're typically restricted to individuals between the ages of 18 and 26 but - fortunately for me - will occasionally consider oldies up to the age of 29 if they impress enough. I was even more fortunate in that I initially received a rejection but due to a cancellation from another candidate I got a last-minute interview slot and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

My successful proposal is titled "20 Years Later: the Soviet Legacy in the Baltic States". I'll be spending around two months later this year in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania exploring both the physical and emotional remains of the Soviet period in these most Western of former Socialist Republics, and examining whether its impact still has ramifications today.

It should be an extremely interesting and enjoyable study, at least from a personal perspective, and one that I would simply not be able to do without the help of the Peter Kirk Scholarship trustees. I'm very grateful for their interest in this project and I look forward to producing an insightful report when I return. Now to arrange some interviews..!