Author: bethjohnson

Innovation with impact – How a badminton tournament became a catalyst for community health research

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

At first glance, a badminton tournament might just seem like an enjoyable recreational event. But for Dr Praveen Kumar, Associate Professor in Stroke Rehabilitation at UWE Bristol, it has become a powerful vehicle for innovation, student engagement, and community impact.

Now in its eighth year, the annual charity tournament – held at UWE Bristol’s Centre for Sport – has grown from a gathering of 24 teams to nearly 80, raising over £32,000 for Bristol After Stroke. Yet the true legacy of the event lies not in the numbers, but in the relationships and research it has helped foster.

From Research Challenges to Real-World Solutions

Dr Kumar’s connection to Bristol After Stroke began during his PhD, when recruiting stroke survivors for research proved difficult through conventional hospital channels. The charity’s day centres offered a vital bridge – not only to participants, but to deeper understanding.

This collaboration sparked a commitment that extended beyond academia. Dr Kumar began volunteering with the charity, running exercise classes for the last nine years and listening closely to the needs of stroke survivors. One recurring theme was the lack of ongoing support after discharge – a gap he sought to address through innovation.

With input from patients, he developed a library of over 25 rehabilitation-focused exercise videos, now freely available on YouTube. These resources are tailored to individual needs through assessments and feedback, and have become a valuable tool for both patients and clinicians.

Inclusive Innovation and AI-Driven Rehabilitation

Recognising the importance of cultural relevance in healthcare, Dr Kumar partnered with South Asian organisations to create linguistically appropriate exercise materials. Recent funding from the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation has enabled similar resources for Gujarati-speaking communities, expanding accessibility and impact. These videos are now available on Sirona YouTube channels.

Looking ahead, Dr Kumar is collaborating with AI specialists at the University of Bristol and being supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research to develop a machine learning algorithm that generates personalised rehabilitation plans. This cutting-edge project aims to empower stroke survivors with tailored support, bridging the gap between clinical expertise and everyday recovery.

A Living Lab for Student Learning

The tournament and associated projects have also become a dynamic learning environment for UWE Bristol students. Over 200 physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation students have volunteered, gaining patient interaction, community health promotion, and hands-on experience with these Next-Step exercise classes that are delivered at UWE Bristol Glenside Campus. This year, Sports Rehab students will be offering pre and post event massage to badminton players participating in this exciting annual charity tournament.

This year, with support from UWE Bristol leadership, the Centre for Sport has offered a 50% discount on venue hire, enabling reduced entry fees for student teams and encouraging broader participation. Dr Kumar’s fundraising goal for 2025 is £6,500, with an ambitious target of £50,000 by the tournament’s 10th anniversary in 2027.

A Model for Community-Led Change

Dr Kumar’s work exemplifies the university’s commitment to research that makes a difference. By integrating sport, technology, and community engagement, he has created a model for how academic initiatives can drive real-world impact.

“In 2016, Bristol After Stroke in partnership with Dr Praveen Kumar, funded by South Gloucestershire Local Authority, launched a new physiotherapy led exercise group in the region.  Its aim was to support stroke affected people gain strength, balance and confidence in movement. It also set out to give people a better understanding of their stroke so was complemented with an educational and social aspect after the physio led exercise. Since this time, we have supported approximately 350 people with their physio goals and seen many overtake their goals. I am proud to say that I often meet alumni of the course that proudly tell me they don’t need to use their stick any more or it has led them on to a more active confident life.

We could not do this without Dr Praveen Kumar and this unique partnership with UWE Bristol Physiotherapy students. This is a pioneering approach and one that many areas envy. However, we could not do this and the many other services we provide without active fundraising. Dr Praveen Kumar’s Badminton tournament has become a key fundraising activity in our calendar and to date has raised over £32,000. 

This funding has enabled BAS to grow and take on new challenges and services. In 2016 we were receiving about 180 referrals a year and now we receive approximately 900 and we support those people with a broad range of services. During this time, this funding has contributed to us providing counselling support, groups and cafés, volunteering and our new walking sport groups like walking netball or walking football. 

All this funding supports helping stroke affected people get back on their feet and have a fulfilling life after Stroke. Praveen’s commitment and passion toward this end not only supports us financially but also motivates us at Bristol After Stroke to continue to innovate and provide this vital support.”

Rebecca Sheehy, CEO Bristol After Stroke

Students, staff, and supporters are invited to get involved in this year’s tournament – whether by playing, volunteering, or donating. Every serve supports recovery, inclusion, and innovation.

Get involved

Tournament details:
Date: Sunday 9 November 2025
Time: 09:00-18:00
Location: UWE Bristol Centre for Sport, Coldharbour Lane, Frenchay, BS16 1QY

If you would like to register for the tournament, please see the flyer below. If you would like to sponsor the event – to cover costs of courts, shuttles etc, please get in touch using the details on the flyer.

Bristol After Stroke badminton tournament flyerDownload

You can also support by making a donation on the Just-Giving page here.

📌 RISE connection: This work exemplifies Innovation with Impact by blending research with community engagement to forge innovative approaches to healthcare. It also contributes to Shaping integrated healthcare, one of our four RISE beacons, by integrating sport, technology and community engagement to empower stroke survivors and support recovery.

My Placement at Bristol City Leap

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

This is a guest blog by James Buchanan.

Who are you, what are you studying, who did you do your placement with, and how did it come about?

My name is James, and I am a third-year Marketing student at UWE Bristol. I carried out my placement with Bristol City Leap, a partnership between Bristol City Council and Ameresco that will invest £1 billion into the city’s energy system over the next 20 years. The aim is to accelerate decarbonisation through projects such as heat networks, solar farms and energy efficiency upgrades.

I secured the role through the UWE Bristol Careers 148-hour internship scheme, applying for a position in the Social Value and Communications team. Before applying, I went to the UWE Bristol careers CV workshop, which helped me land the role. The application process was supportive and straightforward, and I began working two days a week alongside my studies. Later, I was able to extend this into a full-time summer role, giving me seven months in total with a great team.

What projects did you work on over the placement?

Over the course of the placement, I focused more on marketing and communications, linking my studies to the work I was doing. The highlight was contributing to the development of a marketing plan for Bristol City Leap. This allowed me to apply academic theory in a practical setting and explore how marketing could support the organisation’s growth.

I also worked with Revive, the electric vehicle charging network for the Southwest, where I supported the asset registry and helped shape a communications plan to be launched in the future. Community engagement was another important part of my role. I assisted in organising a community exhibition in Avonmouth and South Bristol for a proposed solar farm. As well as helping plan three engagement events with residents about to undergo Social Housing retrofitting. 

Beyond project work, I joined the Community and Wellbeing Committee, helping to plan staff socials and strengthen internal culture. I also attended the Bristol 24/7 Better Business networking event, where I met sustainability-focused organisations from across the city. Soon, I will also attend The Green Mingle, hosted by the Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership, which will allow me to stay connected to Bristol’s sustainability network.

What skills did you develop during the internship?

The placement allowed me to develop a range of professional skills. I became more confident in communications and event organisation. I built stronger project management skills, learned how to collaborate effectively across different teams, and gained experience in balancing tasks and prioritising when needed. On the commercial side, I developed an understanding of how marketing links to sales and business development.

Perhaps most importantly, I developed a deeper understanding of the importance of city-wide decarbonisation, seeing how solar farms, EV infrastructure and housing retrofit all fit into a long-term strategy to reach net zero.

How has this placement helped develop your career?

This experience has been an important step in my development. I now have hands-on examples of how marketing operates within a sustainability-focused organisation. It has strengthened my CV, given me clarity about the type of roles I want to pursue after graduation, and increased my confidence as I move into my final year.

What would you say to any student considering a placement?

If you are a student thinking about a placement, I would say take the opportunity. You will learn more about your skills and career interests than you ever could from lectures alone. It is one of the best ways to gain confidence and understanding of yourself.

As a placement host, how did having James working with you help your business?

“Hosting James as an intern over the summer was a genuinely rewarding experience for many of us in the team at Bristol City Leap. It was inspiring to see how his role evolved, particularly as he transitioned from working two days a week to a full-time after the official UWE internship ended.

The increased capacity allowed him to engage more deeply with our projects and contribute meaningfully to the development of a much-needed marketing plan, an essential step in expanding our impact across the city.”

Emily Walker-Smith – Bristol City Leap

Any final words!

Looking back, my time at Bristol City Leap has been rewarding and enjoyable. I developed skills, worked on meaningful projects, and built connections within Bristol’s sustainability network. Most importantly, I feel more confident about my future career and am proud to have contributed to projects that will benefit the city for years to come.

Future Finance – Collaborative Challenge Programme

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

Future Finance is a partnership of industry and academic financial services experts, committed to creating positive change in the financial services sector and supporting financial services SMEs to adopt new technologies and innovation to grow their businesses. UWE Bristol has several Future Finance events lined up; join our collaborative challenge programme and get paid to shape the future of financial services or come and take part in one of our workshops.

Please contact felicity.cargill@uwe.ac.uk to register for any of the events listed below, or to ask any questions.

Collaborative Challenge Programme

Design Thinking | Thursday 23 October, 6 November, 13 November | 09:30–12:00 | Online 

Join three facilitated online sessions exploring: How Financial service organisations can better support the emergence of new projects and ways of working? 

The sessions will be led by Aimee Skinner and Jo Hare and will bring together stakeholders to share experiences and co-create ideas to foster innovation and adaptability in financial services.

We ask participants to commit to all three sessions, and we offer a participant payment of £75 per session.

High interest market – hack-a-thon | Monday 3 November | 09:30–16:00 | UWE Bristol Business School, Frenchay campus

Join us for a one-day in-person strategic workshop to explore innovation in underserved lending markets. You will take part in conversations centred on the following topics:

  • Mapping the Profiles and Behaviours of High-Interest Loan Users
  • Capital Allocation Strategies – How Financial Institutions Fund High-Risk Lending Markets
  • Risk, Recovery, and Decision Intelligence
  • Consolidating Learnings and Shaping Next Steps for Market Innovation

The day will be led by Yanhui Cathy Zhu and Richard Hatfield.

Financial professionals taking part will receive a payment for participation of £225 Students taking part will receive a payment for participation of £80.

Future Finance Training Workshops

Shaping People-Centred Financial Services: Design Thinking for Financial Leaders | Thursday 20 November | 09:30–12:30 | Online 

In this interactive online session, you’ll explore how human-centred approaches are improving experiences, building trust and driving smarter solutions across financial services. 

  • An overview of the Design Thinking framework and its applications in financial services
  • Real-world examples of how financial service organisations have adopted these principles to their advantage
  • Hands-on exercises to introduce core Design Thinking methods
  • Practical, actionable steps to start applying Design Thinking within your organisation

Leadership training for Financial Leaders

Are you a professional working in financial services and leading a team?
Join one or more of our upcoming online Future Finance leadership training workshops, led by academic expert Alison Miles.

Leading successful change | Tuesday 18 November | 09:30–12:30 | online

In this hands-on, discussion-led session, we’ll explore how to plan and lead successful strategic change but also look at how to deal with the problems of unplanned change. Reframing the notion of change as a strategic opportunity, this session shows you how to lead your team as you navigate change in fintech and financial services SMEs.    

Building high impact teams | Wednesday 10 December | 09:30–12:30 | online

In today’s fast paced, ever changing environment, your team is crucial to your business success. A high impact performing team is one which works collaboratively with high levels of trust and compassion. Through real world examples and practical exercises, this session will help you build a culture of shared purpose, collaboration and creativity within your team.

Leading strategic innovation and creativity | Thursday 11 December | 09:30–12:30 | online

Building and sustaining a creative, innovation strategy is essential in today’s ever-changing environment. Learn how to lead in ways that foster a culture of creativity and innovation and allow your business to develop and implement the new ideas it needs to thrive. Through real world examples and practical exercises, this course will help develop your personal leadership framework and tools to foster a culture of creativity in yourself and your team.  

International Repair Day: UWE Bristol at the heart of a global movement

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

This is a guest blog written by Kat Corbett, Interim Head of Circular Economy at UWE Bristol.

On 18 October, International Repair Day is celebrated worldwide. It is a moment to recognise the power of repair not only to reduce waste and emissions, but also to strengthen communities and reimagine our relationship with the things we use every day.

For UWE Bristol and the Bristol Repair Coalition, this year’s celebration follows closely on the heels of FixFest 2025, the international festival of repair. Seven delegates from Bristol joined campaigners, businesses, academics, and activists from over 20 countries to share experiences and strategies. The energy from that event carries directly into today’s focus: making repair affordable, accessible, and mainstream.

The global fight for a right to repair

Repair is becoming harder, even as the need grows more urgent. E-waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream globally, with millions of devices failing within just years, or even months or weeks of purchase. From phones that are impossible to open to laptops requiring specialist tools, barriers to repair are everywhere.

The Right to Repair Europe movement exists to tackle these challenges. With over 180 member organisations from 30 countries, including NGOs, community groups, social enterprises, refurbishers, and citizen advocates, the coalition campaigns for universal access to spare parts and manuals, affordable repair, and legislation that prevents planned obsolescence.

This International Repair Day, the initiative urges policymakers to act boldly. The recent decision by Microsoft to end free support for Windows 10 illustrates why: millions of usable devices risk premature obsolescence. Globally, the Right to Repair movement remains critical.

Bristol’s role in a global movement

The Bristol Repair Coalition, founded in March 2024 through the Repair Acts initiative, is a diverse alliance of community groups, social enterprises, academic institutions, local businesses, and city partners. Its aim is to create a regenerative material culture that prioritises repair and reuse, moving beyond recycling to systemic change.

The coalition works closely with Bristol City Council to embed repair into the city’s new Waste Strategy, while exploring a Circular Economy Demonstrator – a space to refurbish, repair, and resell items, create jobs, and provide training. It has also launched a public map of Bristol’s repair ecosystem, connecting residents with local repair cafés, social enterprises, and specialist services.

For UWE Bristol, involvement in the coalition reflects the university’s commitment to research, education, and practice in the circular economy. Staff and students are directly engaged in repair initiatives on campus and in the community, from the UWE Bristol Repair Café to student-led ventures providing affordable refurbished tech.

Launching the How to Create MAKERS guide: A blueprint for embedding repair in education

A key highlight this year is the launch of the How to Create MAKERS guide, a practical toolkit designed to help universities and colleges embed repair, making, and sustainability into their curricula. Building on the success of UWE Bristol’s MAKERS project – Making And Knowledge Exchange for Repair and Sustainability – the guide provides step-by-step advice on:

· Establishing local sustainability and repair projects

· Creating inclusive learning environments

· Building community partnerships

· Monitoring impact and sharing best practices

The guide is designed to enhance students’ hands-on skills and sense of belonging, particularly for under-represented groups, while promoting civic engagement and environmental sustainability. By providing a clear framework for implementing repair cafés, workshops, and community initiatives, it extends UWE Bristol’s impact nationally and internationally, helping institutions foster graduates who are technically capable, collaborative, and sustainability-minded.

Building hope through repair

International Repair Day reminds us that repair is more than a technical skill – it is a way of reimagining our future and our relationships with each other. It is about resilience, equity, and hope.

For UWE Bristol and the Bristol Repair Coalition, International Repair Day is an opportunity to celebrate achievements, from campus repair cafés to city partnerships, while recognising how much more remains to be done. As waste and emissions continue to rise, embedding repair into everyday life is essential.

International Repair Day celebration event:

International Repair Day Bristol 2025 will be celebrated on Saturday 18 October, 11:00–17:30 at Sparks, Broadmead. The event features hands-on workshops (electronics, bikes, furniture), creative activities (banner making, upcycling, take-apart table), talks on planned obsolescence and community activism, the Fixy Van drop-in, and a closing performance by Professor Teresa Dillon. Co-organised by Repair Acts and the Bristol Repair Coalition, the event connects Bristol to a global network promoting sustainable, community-driven repair practices.

Skills that empower – the Skills Pathway Programme: building a greener future through retrofit and sustainability

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

Empowering regional talent through flexible learning

At UWE Bristol, we believe that real change begins with people – those who are ready to learn, grow, and lead. The Skills Pathway Programme was created to do just that: to equip professionals across the West of England with the tools and confidence to shape a more sustainable future. 

Supporting employees from SMEs across Construction & Built Environment, Legal Services, and Engineering & Manufacturing, the programme offered four flexible pathways: Collaborative Working, Digital & Intelligent Technologies, Leadership, and Sustainability. Each pathway combined modular e-learning with live workshops, supported by optional mentoring and a dedicated Learner Engagement Lead who ensured personalised guidance throughout.

With a strong focus on inclusion, we welcomed participants from underrepresented groups, especially women and individuals from global majority backgrounds in technical sectors. Nearly 100 professionals took part, gaining access to UWE’s facilities and expert support from academics and industry partners.

The Sustainability Pathway – particularly its retrofit modules – saw the greatest uptake, reflecting growing demand for practical skills aligned with the region’s sustainability goals. Notably, 82% of participants came from construction, manufacturing, and engineering, highlighting the programme’s relevance to regional industry.

Graduates earned a UWE Certificate and Digital Badge, marking a meaningful step in their professional journey – and a collective stride toward a more sustainable future.

Reflections on the impact of the Skills Pathway Programme

Hannah Ranby, Project Lead for the Skills Pathway Programme, shared insights into her experience overseeing the project and its lasting impact.

“The programme exceeded all targets set by our funder and achieved unexpected levels of individual and business impact. This very tangible success demonstrates that there is a real appetite for stackable, modular training from people working in the region that meets both their individual development needs and provides the specific skills their organisation needs to grow.   

Uniquely, this programme provided a high level of one-to-one support for each participant, ensuring that their pathway through the programme was fit-for-purpose and that they were set up to succeed. I’m in no doubt that taking this very tailored approach to the content and structure of the programme, and ensuring that it was accessible for working people, by blending online learning and in-person workshops, contributed to the impact that the programme has had.   

Working on such a successful programme and hearing first-hand from our participants the direct impact it has had on them and their organisation is hugely rewarding for the whole project team. We have learnt so much through this project that we are now taking forward to our other funded skills programmes to ensure continuous improvement, high levels of participant satisfaction and effective use of the funding we continue to secure.”  

Tania Geta, a qualified architect, was looking for a course that would suit her company’s project portfolio, generate new opportunities, and provide her with a qualification and the skillset to run retrofit projects. 

“Through the programme, I have increased my knowledge in the areas of sustainability and retrofit. I gained valuable insights through discussions with my mentor and self-reflection using the Growth Action Plan. These conversations provided a deeper understanding of key topics and helped me apply new perspectives to my professional development. The programme also encouraged a more structured approach to goal setting and career progression, which will continue to benefit me moving forward.” 

Usman Yaqub was drawn to the structured nature of the course and was looking to address understandings of PAS 2035 and retrofit in general and how these could be practically applied into the workplace. 

“We have delved into PAS 2035 and a range of detailed areas on retrofit in general that has proved very useful to take into the working environment. I believe that this will enhance the way in which we work and ultimately lead to an enhancement in service for society as a whole.” 

What’s next?

We’re now delivering a series of new highly subsidised Skills Bootcamps at UWE Bristol, designed for SMEs and employees in larger organisations looking to deepen expertise and upskill in key areas around sustainability and manufacturing.

Explore our Skills Bootcamps and secure your place.

The Skills Pathway Programme was funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority through the Mayoral Priority Skills Fund (MPSF). The MPSF was part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).  

📌 RISE connection: The Skills Pathway Programme exemplifies Skills that empower by highlighting how tailored, inclusive learning pathways equip professionals with practical, future-focused skills – empowering individuals and industries to lead sustainable change across the West of England. It also contributes to Enriching culture, place and community and Securing a green, resilient future, two of our four RISE beacons.

Funded Skills Programmes and Professional Development courses starting at UWE Bristol in Autumn 2025

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

With autumn approaching, it’s the ideal time to invest in professional growth – for yourself or your team – and build valuable new skills. At UWE Bristol, we’re pleased to be delivering a range of programmes and courses, many of which are heavily subsidised and open to both independent learners and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Whether you’re looking to upskill, explore a new area, or support your team’s development, there’s something here for you. Take a look below to find the programme or course that fits your goals and start planning your next step.

Leadership and Management Programmes

Help to Grow: Management Course  

A 12-week, 90% funded leadership and management course for senior managers of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). Starts 9 September 2025. 

Leadership Fundamentals 

A 10-week, highly-subsidised programme that helps SMEs build essential leadership skills to strengthen their teams and support sustainable growth. Starts 19 September 2025. 

Coaching and Mentoring Courses

A discount for UWE Bristol Alumni is available for the Coaching and Mentoring courses listed below.

Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring (ILM level 5) 

This ILM qualification aims to give you the skills and experience to develop your coaching and mentoring skills by practically completing sessions and critically reviewing these. Starts 29 September 2025. 

Certificate for Executive and Senior Level Coaches and Mentors (ILM level 7) 

This ILM qualification is ideal for senior leaders with significant responsibility for coaching and mentoring as part of their day-to-day role working with employees or colleagues. Starts 13 October 2025. 

Skills Bootcamps

Our Skills Bootcamps are short, intensive cost effective training solutions lasting between 8-12 weeks, equipping individuals with industry-relevant skills to help you futureproof your business.  

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies for Manufacturing and Engineering Skills Bootcamp 

A 10-week, 90% funded high impact training programme for SMEs, designed to equip professionals with the digital expertise needed to drive innovation and efficiency in modern industry. Apply by 8 September 2025. 

Digital Built Environment: Fabrication & Manufacturing Skills Bootcamp 

A 10-week, 90% funded practical training experience designed to equip individuals with cutting-edge digital construction and manufacturing capabilities. Apply by 15 September 2025. 

Managing Projects Successfully Skills Bootcamp 

An 8-week, 90% funded programme designed to enhance project management skills including communication, leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Apply by 15 September 2025. 

Scaling Preparedness: Green Tech Startup Growth Skills Bootcamp 

A 9-week, 90% funded programme equipping green tech entrepreneurs, founders and emerging leaders with the advanced leadership, strategy and sales capabilities needed to scale sustainability. Apply by 8 September 2025.  

Leadership and Resilience for Creative and Cultural Work Skills Bootcamp 

A 10-week, 90% funded programme designed to help creative professionals thrive in senior roles or freelance contracts, through gaining vital business skills including networking, pitching, and accessing funding. Apply by 8 September 2025. 

Urban Greening for a Biodiverse West of England Skills Bootcamp 

A 10-week, highly-funded programme designed for professionals looking to deepen their understanding of urban biodiversity and apply innovative greening techniques to their work. Apply by 15 September 2025. 

School of Engineering Professional Development Courses

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems 

This one-day programme will help you develop an understanding of how hydrogen fuel cells offer a zero-emission alternative to fossil fuels, making them a promising solution for reducing greenhouse gases and combating climate change. Takes place on 16 September 2025. 

Advanced Wind Energy 

This three-day course will cover the fundamental aerodynamic theory of wind turbines, wind turbine control methods, and other relevant topics such as wind turbine noise, wind distribution and capacity factor. Starts 17 September 2025. 

Explore more Professional Development courses on a range of topics.

To find out more about the courses listed above, please contact the following teams:

Help to Grow: Management Course – helptogrow@uwe.ac.uk

Leadership Fundamentals – workforceskills@uwe.ac.uk

Skills Bootcamps – bootcamps@uwe.ac.uk

Professional Development Courses – CPD@uwe.ac.uk

Fighting for water equity and access to clean and healthy water for everyone

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

Darren Reynolds, Professor of Health and Environment

I’m a professor in health and environment. My background is environmental science. So, I’ve always had a real interest in the environment. One of the things that really drives me is this idea of fairness and equity. People having access to basic things like food, good health and of course, water.   

I’ve got a really, really big interest in water and in everybody having access to clean water for drinking, swimming and accessing nature. Here in the UK, we take it for granted. You’re thirsty, you get up, you turn on the tap, you fill a glass, you drink. And all the while, there are billions of people on earth who don’t have this privilege.   

Water is life

Through my work I’m fighting for water equity. I want everyone to have access to clean rivers and lakes, as these are beneficial to our health and well-being and the world we live in.  Rivers and lakes that we can enjoy. Drinking water that won’t kill you. Seriously, did you know that dirty, contaminated water is the world’s biggest killer of children under the age of five? That’s frightening.   

There’s a great inequity when it comes to accessing safe and healthy water. I believe that we can solve this, we just need the mindset and the passion to address the problem globally.   

Teeming with wildlife and beneficial for our well-being    

We have big problems in the UK too. Sometimes we have too much water, sometimes we don’t have enough. Our rivers are constantly being polluted with untreated sewage, with chemicals coming from the land and our towns and cities. As a result, not one river in England or Wales meets good chemical or ecological health. That’s not good enough.   

Globally, rivers and inland waters probably contain or sustain about a third of all invertebrates on earth. They’re also full of microbes, which are important for recycling our matter on earth like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous. But surface fresh waters only cover about 4% of the Earth’s surface. So, they’re disproportionately responsible for a lot of life on earth. They are important tools of nature. We absolutely have to take care of them.   

A collaborative community bringing the change   

So, yes, I’m interested in trying to heal, restore and improve our rivers and lakes, not just in the UK but globally. To co-create new tools, technologies and innovations that enable communities to take charge of their own water rather than having to rely on governments or big corporations.   
  
I really enjoy teaching too. Our students are so inquisitive. So open minded. They’re much more prepared to explore ideas, to collaborate and innovate. I firmly believe that the ideas that will change our world can come from anybody, anywhere. Students, designers, engineers, community leaders – we have to collaborate, work together and co-create as a community to create real change.   

Contribution to the UN 2030 sustainable development goals

UWE Bristol is proud to align our research to the UN sustainable development goals. The above research aligns with the following goals:

When we’re more confident and satisfied with how we look, we feel better and have a greater impact on society

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

 Dr Beth Daniels, Professor and Director of the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)   

I’m proud to be the Director of the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR). We’re the world’s leading centre for excellence in Appearance Research.  

We study people who have visible differences, and we look at body image too – how people feel about their appearance. Because how people feel about their bodies affects how they feel about themselves, how they function in the world. Our perceptions of our body image have lots of implications for, and a direct impact on, our overall psychological wellbeing.   

More confident, more opportunities   

Through our research, we want to help people feel more confident and satisfied with their appearance. Because, for example, if I feel poorly about myself in terms of how I look, I may be less likely to engage in society. I may make decisions that take me away from the spotlight. We need to flip that. If we can help people feel more confident with how they look, then that would transcend into how they operate in society.   

Challenging prevailing attitudes  

We’re also working to highlight, surface and challenge the kinds of attitudes that make people feel bad. Like weight bias. We know that people in larger bodies are treated badly in society and discriminated against. We want to draw attention to these barriers. Similarly, we know that women are often sexually objectified in society and diminished because of this over focus on their sexual attractiveness.   

We want to make sure that we’re surfacing these problematic cultural attitudes because of the direct implications they have on how individuals then feel about their bodies.   

Real-life differences we can see and feel  

There’s a lot more that we need to do in terms of looking at body image and appearance concerns in different groups. Not just to do with racial and ethnic backgrounds, but also with people who are gender diverse or gender fluid.   

What we do here is genuinely real-life changing research. Because body image is relevant, personal, to everybody.   

Contribution to the UN 2030 sustainable development goals

UWE Bristol is proud to align our research to the UN sustainable development goals. The above research aligns with the following goals:

The power of community: Key takeaways from the City Gathering 

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

Blog post by Allan Macleod, Head of Civic and Inclusivity at UWE Bristol, following the City Gathering on 23 June 2025.

“We want to champion community leadership and expertise. We want to support more action at a community level. We want to partner with communities to find solutions to the new One City Plan missions.”

Over the eight years that I’ve attended City Gatherings, they’ve had a mix of styles and covered a range of topics. From their 60 attendee origins to 450 person Zoom calls, to squeezing 42 speakers into a three hour agenda, they’ve been varied and exciting events. They’ve invited UN Ambassadors, celebrities like Joe Sims, the Head of Greenpeace, the Director of CBI and the local arm of Extinction Rebellion. But at this week’s City Gathering there was a new focus – the power of Community in leading change.  

While many Gatherings reflected the ambition to present community voices through programmes like One City Many Neighbourhoods or the City Fellows, the clear message of Monday’s event was that Bristol’s communities are already leaders and can be co-delivery partners for change in Bristol. 

Jon Alexander (author of Citizens) called for a dynamic shift, particularly from our policymakers and institutions. He challenged us to move from treating Bristolians as consumers that the city’s institutions serve, to citizens that create, lead and participate in the future of direction the city. The inspirational Voscur member organisations led the discussions of the potential One City Missions, and showcased what a breadth of community action and wealth of community wisdom Bristol has.  

a gathering of community leaders and partners in the City Hall. a presenter with a microphone stands in front of a screen with the words subject, consumer, citizen on it.

None of this is new to community leaders. The council’s community team and the city’s grassroots organisations have long been doing this but their work has often been overlooked or underappreciated. The call from the Gathering and the previous week’s Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership’s gathering was clear:

Bristol’s communities are here and they are ready to lead and deliver. 

This mirrors a move many Universities are making as well. Universities are signing Civic Agreements to show their commitment to be facilitators of collaboration, funders of action and providers of resource. The new UWE Bristol Civic and Inclusivity team are co-signatories of one such Civic Agreement with John McWilliams’s Civic team at the University of Bristol.   

Both our institutions have deep connections to Bristol’s communities. This is a key part of the Bristol Civic University Agreement – to work with and for Bristol’s communities, not to dictate to and extract from. We’ve worked with VCSE partners through research bids, resourced through student volunteers & internships and collaborated to tackle some of the city’s biggest challenges around climate change, food and social mobility to name just a few. But we know that both Universities can go further.  

As the new head of Civic and Inclusivity at UWE Bristol, my role is to drive this further. We want to champion community leadership and expertise. We want to support more action at a community level. We want to partner with communities to find solutions to the new One City Plan missions.  

Those missions will need to be ones that every citizen can see themselves in and contribute to. That is a huge task that the City Office are left with after a fantastic City Gathering. But the energy is there, and Bristol is blessed with more than just a collaborative spirit; its communities are strong and can drive systemic change, and they showed that at Monday’s Gathering. 

Research within the Science Communication Unit

Author bethjohnson | Posted on

“Research within the Science Communication Unit focuses on the interface between science and society, whether that’s journalism, science centres, citizen science or the myriad ways that we can bring researchers together with members of the public. We are particularly interested in the way our research makes it into everyday practice and our teaching.”

Dr Emma Weitkamp, Professor in Science Communication and Co-Director of the Science Communications Unit  

Dr Clare Wilkinson, Professor in Science Communication and Co-Director of the Science Communication Unit 

The Science Communication Unit (SCU), a UWE Bristol research centre, focuses on research, teaching and practice. As a research centre, our scope is quite broad, with research interests that span a range of science communication practices, from journalism to citizen science, festivals to co-production, as well as interests in cross cutting themes such as inclusivity, ethics and identity.  Within the SCU, we also have interests that cross many research disciplines, from engineering to environmental science, education and the arts.  

 We also run a Masters in Science Communication. As well as embedding our research within our taught programmes, we are keen to work with science communication practitioners to ensure research is relevant and actionable. And we’re all about how our work makes it into everyday practice, everyday teaching, and embedding it within our training offering.  

Real world relevance

As Emma says ‘Within my own research. I’m really interested in how and where the research I do – the research our unit does – can be taken and applied by people working specifically in science communication, which is often journalists. But it can also be people in policy, museums, public relations or even the arts.  

‘But where I see my greatest impact is in teaching and training. Here, I’m directly taking research to people who can use it. And I’m always thinking about what it really means for someone who’s doing science communication.’ 

A key question for the unit, then is how can we apply research to inform practice and to inspire and empower the next generation? It’s our students who will change society for the better.   

Established and growing

Science communication at UWE Bristol is on the cutting-edge. We have one of oldest science communication programmes in the UK, probably in the world. We have a long track record of leading the way – and we plan to keep leading the way. For some that will mean coming to study with us, but for others it will be considering how they can access our work in different ways.  

Clare said ‘In addition to doing lots of exciting and interesting research it’s important we share it. For some projects that might be through blog posts, or magazines aimed at professional communicators. In other projects we might be conducting webinars or sharing key findings via YouTube. We’re also very proud that the unit has a great track record in publishing its work, be that through articles in the key international journals in our field, or through creating readable and contemporary books and resources that our students can also learn from.’  

We want the Science Communication Unit at UWE Bristol to continue to be the go-to place – whether that’s for students looking for a stimulating, quality postgraduate course, organisations looking for continuing professional development programmes or researchers looking to partner with one of the leading science communication research centres globally to enhance the quality of their work, and ultimately, make a difference to some of the complex issues society faces. As Emma and Clare say, ‘these are the main things that drive us and our work forward’.   

Contribution to the UN 2030 sustainable development goals

UWE Bristol is proud to align our research to the UN sustainable development goals. The above research aligns with the following goals:

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