The notion of ‘families of choice’ also conveys a false binary logic that LGBTQ+ adults look to either friends or biological family for support. This project proposes to critically explore the notion of chosen families as a central thread informing our discussions and future proposals. (read more)

Stigma is a major barrier to people being retained in opioid substitution treatment (OST) and recovering from opioid dependency; people who use OST are often stigmatised both for their drug use, as well as the medications they receive (for instance in healthcare settings). People who use crack cocaine and heroin are especially stigmatised and Bristol has a particularly high incidence of people who use both substances concurrently. (read more)

Women who have had female circumcision/female genital mutilation (FC/FGM) often experience life-long consequences in relation to health, wellbeing, and sexual functioning. However, current policy in the UK tends to ignore these needs in favour of policies which seek to protect potential future victims. (read more)

People with hearing often assume that audible language is all that inter-human conversation offers. However, for over 200 years, a community of 'visual humans' – deaf people, or those who experience the world in a predominantly visual way and who communicate in one of the world's natural, visual, sign languages - have sought to persuade the hearing world of the extraordinary potential of a language made of light, crafted by motion, and captured through vision. (read more)

They project’s overarching aim was to explore how we can use intelligent sensing to personalise a health and wellbeing soft robotic device such that this device responds to its user, adapt to their needs and preferences, and yields a satisfactory experience. (read more)

The aims of this project were to forge new relationships among modern pagan practitioners, mental health practitioners, and academics, and to brainstorm about relationships between ‘paganism’ and mental wellbeing. (read more)

Alongside a wellbeing crisis amongst the teaching profession (as evidenced in the latest Teacher Wellbeing Index (2021)), there is also a crisis in pupil mental health and wellbeing, which undoubtedly has an impact on those teachers working with them. According to The Independent, a teaching union found that pupil mental health is the main concern of school staff (The Independent, 7th June 2021, accessed online). (read more)

This project explored ways in which sociology, gender studies, and theatre can work together to produce a successful piece of entertaining theatre on the topic of contemporary parenthood. (read more)

A core outcome of that project was the development of a Diary Toolkit and the generation of data on its efficacy for improving teacher wellbeing in the UK. Lucy Kelly worked closely with local teachers through focus groups and workshops and Grace Huxford explored the history of diaries and examined the archival holdings of the Theatre Collection and Bristol Special Collection. (read more)