In August 2026 I went to Perth to receive an honorary fellowship from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, for my ‘work in bringing stories from the frontline of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’.
The RSGS said ‘Through her reporting, Jen has highlighted a country defined not only by this conflict, but also by the resilience of its people, the richness of its history, and the depth of its culture.’
The honorary fellowships have been awarded since 1888. More about them here. To be on this list is an absolutely huge honour, especially to receive this specifically for trying to bring other sides of Ukraine to public attention – this is what I’ve been trying to do all along, to show everyone huge diversity of landscapes, architecture and culture in Ukraine. It’s a country that was already stereotyped as grey, ‘post-Soviet’, grim – and now of course, ‘war-torn’. Actually it’s extraordinary, vast, and beautiful, and I hope I’ve been able to get that across in my writing and broadcasts. I also hope that in peacetime people will go to see Ukraine for themselves. When that time comes depends, in part, on us.
I gave some lectures for the RSGS last winter in Kirkcaldy, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and their members are such a lovely bunch, really engaged and interested in the world. The RSGS is a educational charity, founded in 1884, and it aims to promote understanding of people, places and the planet. I’d say journalists try to do the same. I’m so grateful for this recognition.
Here’s an article I wrote for The Geographer, the Society’s magazine, about reporting in to Kyiv in that awful cold winter. Now the next winter is creeping closer, and it may well be worse. Keep supporting Ukraine.
