The Colossus computer remained secret for decades during which time neither Tommy Flowers nor the codebreakers recieved any recognition for their wartime work. However, those who worked on it went on to pioneer innovations including; noise-cancelling headphones, design E.R.N.I.E the first national lottery computer, and develop direct-dial telephony, an innovation that led on to the mobile phone technology we all use today.
As a Charitable Community Benefit Society, the Tommy Flowers Foundation supports new ideas in science, technology and the arts, by awarding bursaries to emerging innovators and giving opportunities for collaboration and development through residencies.
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Will Creswick
Bursary Awardee 1
In 2021, emerging Newcastle-upon-Tyne film-maker Will Creswick was supported by TFF to explore multi-screen editing and integration of Super 8 stock in his work, to meld with digital image capture. Will has gone on to enjoy great success in the…
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Fyto Hydroponics
Bursary Awardee 2
This start-up, working out of Hoult’s Yard, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 2022, impressed us with their laboratory set-up and dedication to making hydroponically-grown plant technology available to a wider public. Now partnering with Newcastle University, Fyto has attracted greater support from the…
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Working Glass
Bursary Awardee 3
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets Innovation programme and the Greater London Authority Make London initiative, along with the support of many local residents and groups, facilitated the construction of not only a mobile glassblowing studio but also fostered the formation of…
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Oliver Beard
Bursary Awardee 4
Sound engineer Oliver Beard is collaborating with TFF to create a sonic work that explores key innovations of the Post Office Research Station team, that were led by Tommy Flowers and Harry Fensom, who invented noise-cancelling headphones. Blending the sounds…
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Anna Wolf
Bursary Awardee 5
The Tommy Flowers Foundation arranged access to a vast pontoon for multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter Anna Wolf to create new compositions and interpretations for a public performance inside this vast vessel in June 2025, which was incredibly well received. Anna…
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Lens Lab Project
Bursary Awardee 6
Committed to impactful community engagement across West Yorkshire, the Lens Lab Project attracted TFF with their proven success in nurturing young emerging talent, our bursary allowing more research into traditional photographic processes that offer immersive methods through experimental processes, offering…
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Jack M. Campbell
Bursary Awardee 7
Introduced to TFF by Harry Fensom’s family, 22-year-old composer and musician Jack M.Campbell has recently written and extensively performed a piece inspired by Alan Turing’s Bombe. With a bursary from TFF, he is now working on a score responding to Colossus, the computer…
The Tommy Flowers Foundation want the legacy of Tommy Flowers and his vision to inspire future generations, showing how aptitude and determination can create revolutionary innovation, even against the greatest odds.
