BDA Cadogan Award for Resilience 2024 won by Westcott alumna

We are delighted that Westcott alumna, Revd Abigail Harris has won the British Dyslexia Association Cadogan Award for Resilience 2024. This award is for a young person, aged 18-30 with dyslexia who has overcome adversity to transform their own life or positively impact the lives of others around them. Abigail was nominated for this award in recognition of both her own academic achievements and her input into our work at Westcott and across the Cambridge Theological Federation to improve the experience of formation for neurodivergent ordinands.

When she accepted the award Abigail said ‘with the right support, I’ve been able to learn to advocate for myself and others. I’ve gone from someone who was told they’d never achieve anything in life to someone who’s now been able to help others with dyslexia and write a book about dyslexia and ministry!  Seeing the world differently doesn’t make you any less.’

Abigail’s first Grove Booklet was published November 2024.  Entitled Dyslexia in Ministry: a personal reflection, it reflects on her training and ministry experience, exploring the challenges and benefits of dyslexia and offering concrete steps that can be taken to ensure the church can be blessed by, and be a blessing for, the full range of human experience.