07 Nursing student wins national competition


Graham Burrell is celebrating after winning a national competition run by the National Network of Learning Disability Nurses.


Graham is a learning disabilities nursing student based at the Lancaster campus. Students were asked to write a 500-word essay entitled ‘Inspiration, Aspiration and Perspiration’ about their time on the course and their hopes for the future. Five essays were short-listed from all the national entries and their authors invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Network’s two-day annual conference in York.


Graham’s entry came out on top after a final selection process by a group of people with learning disabilities. He was presented with a trophy and a cash prize of £250 by Dr Michael Brown, Chair of the National Network of Learning Disability Nurses.


Graham Burrell with his NNLDN prize


Graham was made redundant at the age of 45 and remembers that time as the lowest point in his life. He was extremely worried about how he would continue to provide for his wife and children and it was with trepidation that he decided to enrol on the learning disabilities nursing course at his local university.


In his winning essay, Graham says: “Eight months into this programme, my inspiration is the smile of a person who faces challenges far greater than I can comprehend; my personal challenges are insignificant. My inspiration is a powerful emotion; it carries me forwards on my journey, as I travel. I hold it, and that smile, in my mind; it moves me and influences me in ways I never thought possible. There really are things of greater importance and more rewarding than a balanced spreadsheet and last week’s performance figures!”


One of Graham’s lecturers at the University of Cumbria, Tony Dennison, was at the conference and saw him collect his prize. He says: “We’re very proud of Graham and this achievement is richly deserved. He’s well on his way to becoming an excellent learning disabilities nurse.”


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