Three students have been presented with the Tim Spencer Award at the Brooklands Innovation Academy on Wednesday 1 October 2025, as part of a competition designed to inspire the next generation of NHS leaders.
The award, run in partnership with the Bourne Education Trust, invited students to submit a blog style essay exploring the positive and negative impacts of weight loss injections on health in the UK. The winning entries demonstrated thoughtful analysis, and a strong understanding of the complex health issues facing the nation.
The winners were invited to Brooklands Innovation Academy at Brooklands Museum in Surrey to receive their award from the trust’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Mark Roland. They were then invited to attend a special seminar with Professor Brian Cox CBE FRS, where they had the opportunity to ask questions and hear about his career in science.
Speaking about the award, Dr Roland said: “The Tim Spencer Award is a fantastic opportunity to engage young people in real-world health issues and spark their interest in the NHS. It’s inspiring to see the next generation thinking critically about the future of healthcare, and I hope this experience encourages many of them to consider a career in medicine or health leadership.”
Penny Alford, Deputy Chief Executive at the Bourne Education Trust, said: “I am delighted that so many students of different ages engaged with this complex and relevant topic. Their essays showed critical and nuanced thinking. Congratulations to the winners!”
Brooklands Innovation Academy is part of the National Science School Programme, co-founded by Professor Brian Cox CBE FRS and Lord Andrew Mawson OBE, and is managed by The 360 Degree Society. Held each Autumn, the BIA event brings together up to 500 secondary school students from across Surrey and neighbouring counties to take part in hands-on workshops and hear from inspirational speakers.
One of the workshops offered on the day was led by two clinical practice educators from the trust highlighting the work they do in maternity and trauma and orthopaedics and their supporting clinical teams to care for patients.
Pictured above (L-R): Professor Brian Cox CBE FRS; Alex Patterson, Director and CEO, Brooklands Museum; three students who received the Tim Spencer Award; Mark Roland, Chief Medical Officer at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals; Tom Corry, Careers Lead for the Bourne Education Trust and Schools Consultant for Brooklands Museum.
