Research and knowledge exchange annual report 2014 - Canterbury Christ Church University

EDITION 2

RESEARCH & KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE REPORT

TRANSFORMING SOCIETIES & IMPROVING LIVES

CONTENTS SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSION

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SUSTAINABILITY 08 HEALTH AND WELLBEING

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RECOVERING PAST LIVES

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IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

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ARTS AND CULTURE

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WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Research and Knowledge Exchange Report - Transforming societies & Improving lives, which gives a snapshot of the diverse range of exciting research and knowledge exchange activity being undertaken across the University.

The University continues to excel in cutting-edge research. Our international partnerships with stakeholders support and inspire teachers and healthcare and crime and policing professionals. We have flourishing relationships with a wide range of external organisations and continue to provide excellent knowledge exchange initiatives to support their work in the region and to boost small business growth.

Our research-active staff are continually pushing the boundaries and making ground-breaking discoveries, which will impact globally, not least in finding sustainable ways to improve crop yields in the future. Innovative projects are transforming our societies, from improving children’s school experience and making education more inclusive, to putting people at the centre of all patient-care; finding ways to improve older people’s lives through the arts, and creating a healthier nation.

Our impact on the community reaches still further through our commitment towards arts and culture in the region.

Our substantial involvement with Sounds New and the Canterbury Festival and many major national and international organisations is attracting world-class performances and exhibitions to Kent, stimulating students, staff and the public.

This report shows how our research has far-reaching benefits to communities and individuals. It demonstrates that, as well as economic benefits, investment in research impacts on policy-making and society through better healthcare outcomes and improvements to the environment and to the quality of our social and cultural lives.

I hope you enjoy reading this report and that it gives you an understanding of the breadth and quality of our research and knowledge exchange activities.

Professor Tony Lavender Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Knowledge Exchange)

SOCIAL JU ST I C E A N D IN CLU SI O N

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WHO AND WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY?

Jonathan Tonge, Professor of Politics, University of Liverpool.

Máire Braniff, Lecturer in sociology, University of Ulster.

Thomas Hennessey, Professor of Modern British and irish History, Canterbury Christ Church University.

James W. McAuley, Professor of Political sociology and irish studies, University of Huddersfield.

Sophie A.Whiting, Lecturer in Politics, University of Liverpool.

The democratic Unionist Party From Protest to Power

J O n At H A n t O n g e , M Á i r e B r A n i f f, t H O M A s H en n es s e y, JA M es W. M CAU Le y, And sOPHie A. WHiting

It was led by a fundamentalist Protestant preacher for more than forty years. The Rev Ian Paisley opposed all compromises with Irish Catholic Nationalists and Republicans in his stout defence of Northern Ireland’s position in the UK. However, in 2006 he amazed a lot of people, not least many members of the party, when he agreed to share power with the historic enemy, Sinn Féin, and moved the DUP from a party of protest to one of power.

Thomas Hennessey, Professor of Modern History, together with colleagues from the universities of Liverpool, Ulster and Huddersfield, has conducted

Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has become its most popular political force, but remarkably little has been written about the party. a comprehensive survey of the Party to discover why the deal was done by Paisley and the DUP; who orchestrated the agreement, and above all, how was it sold to a hitherto unyieldingly religious, conservative and unionist membership?

The Democratic Unionist Party – social perspectives and political attitudes of representatives, activists and members asks who are the members of the Party and to what extent is that membership changing?

Can the DUP still be described as a religiousbased party?

In order to find out the answers to these questions, and exactly who comprises the DUP and their views of the party, the entire party membership was sent, through the DUP head office, a detailed questionnaire containing over 80 questions on a wide range of issues, as well as demographic data. Over 51% of the membership

OLDER PEOPLE THROUGH A CHILD’S EYE

responded. This was followed by interviews with a wide range of party members, including the party leader and deputy leader, seven of the party’s eight MPs and all 38 DUP members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and over 50 councillors. These were complemented by several focus groups with other party members conducted across Northern Ireland.

Drawing upon this first-ever membership survey of the DUP and interviews of party members, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and facilitated by the party from the First Minister of Northern Ireland and party leader, Peter Robinson, downwards, the project offers a unique study of the identity and attitude of the party’s members.

The findings have been published in a book, The Democratic Unionist Party: from Protest to Power.

Understanding how they view older people will help in educating them to take on this responsibility with sensitivity and compassion.

Children’s views of older people, conducted

by Dr Sally Robinson, Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, studied the views of children between 1980 and 2011 and how they were reflected in the media at the time. Papers of the early 1980s showed children had negative views of older age such as loss and decline, compared with 21st Century children who have more positive views.

The responsibility for supporting an older population, which is growing, will fall to younger generations in the future.

While children adopt stereotypes, they do not appear to be ageist. However, further wider research needs to be undertaken to underpin effective education to equip the next generation to humanely support the older populations of the future.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSION

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Exploring the increasingly important issue of social justice within the context of government austerity measures was the focus of a two-day national conference hosted by Dr Ruth Rogers, Reader in Inclusion and Social Justice in the Research Centre for Children, Families and Communities, and Shane Blackman, Professor of Cultural Studies.

THE MARGINALISATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE

‘Where Now for Social Justice?’ attracted presenters, universities, charities and organisations from across the UK and from multi-disciplinary backgrounds. A wide range of themes were discussed and the conference provided a highly critical engagement with the very foundations of social justice and equality within the current UK context.

The conference was supported by the Research Centre for Children, Families and Communities, the Faculty of Education ‘Inclusion, Equalities and Social Justice Theme’ (with Claire Tupling and Mary Andall Stanberry) and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Ruth Rogers and Shane Blackman are working with Polity Press to develop an edited book based on the conference themes.

COMMUNICATING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA Young people find social media a very accessible form of communication, but which form is the most appropriate tool for use by social work educators to engage young service users?

Pauline Franklin, Senior Lecturer, Rosa Hossain, Research Fellow, and Esther Coren, Reader in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, are reviewing social media used by young users of services to share experience and communicate knowledge, funded by Nominet Trust. They have found that most sites are written for young people rather than by them. Young people themselves want ownership in terms of their ideas, thinking and voice, especially on social media.

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Concerns raised by both the research findings and by the young people related to ‘connectivity’ and ‘sustainability’. It identified that cohesion and connection between both young people and those supporting them was needed to establish a process of succession planning. This could be the focus of future research.

MOTIVATING A SPORTING HABIT The Government is committed to increase the amount of physical activity and sport undertaken by young people in and out of school. Understanding what will motivate them to do so is the first step towards that goal.

Research funded by a range of stakeholders including the Department of Health, Youth Sport Trust, Lloyds TSB, Bank of Scotland and Sports Leaders UK, and led by Abbey Foad in the Centre for Sport, Physical Education and Activity Research (SPEAR), has found that novelty, fun, ownership and choice are key to young people’s engagement, as well as a feeling of self-worth and actually enjoying physical activity and sport.

SPEAR evaluated the experiences of over nine million pupils taking part in National School Sport Weeks (NSSW) and the impact of over 8,000 Change4Life School Sport Clubs on the physical activity of almost a quarter of a million club members.

Findings from the multi-research programme have provided a rationale for Government and commercial investment in school sport initiatives. The Minister for Public Health, Jane Ellison, noted in 2013 that SPEAR’s research on Change4Life Clubs “demonstrates the value of these clubs” and used SPEAR’s data on physical activity

increases as validation for existing and continued investment in Change4Life Clubs.

Similarly, Lloyds TSB noted that “the reach of the programme into 89% of schools” (data provided by SPEAR) “was why we wanted to extend this opportunity in the year after London 2012”.

SPEAR’s research has also informed Sport England’s £41m commitment in its 201217 strategy. Creating a Sporting Habit for Life raised awareness of the importance of stronger, more visible school-community sport club links among policy-makers, practitioners and the wider public.

These policy and programme changes have had a positive impact on young people themselves with more young leaders being trained and additional community clubs now linked to schools through the Investment in County Sport Partnership.

Improvements in programme targeting have also helped Change4Life Clubs reach a greater number of less active young people, positively impacting on the engagement and physical activity levels of those most in need of the programme.

Similarly, the Youth Sport Trust has used the research to improve the Change4Life programme in areas such as leadership opportunities and targeting less active young people. Lloyds TSB also noted that using the annual SPEAR research helps them to understand the impact that NSSW is having on young people, parents and teachers which enables them to refresh the programme each year.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSION

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BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE LEGAL PROFESSION Tackling the problem of people from underprivileged educational and social backgrounds being poorly represented in the legal profession is at the root of ongoing action research being carried out by the University’s law team.

The diverse social and educational background of our students is a rich source for this research which is working towards building an inclusive legal profession. It is also providing law graduates with innovative skills to equip them for their futures.

Canterbury circuit court judges, had trips to EU courts, participated in mediation, networked through the law dinner, which was partly funded by law publishers and law firms, and had contact opportunities with local law firms and the Kent Law Society.

A pioneering course aimed at giving students practical experience in professional settings has equally benefitted professional partners who have the opportunity to spot talent early.

Law @ CCCU has enabled students to build a portfolio and gain experience, while providing a service. They have been on sponsored trips to the Inns of Courts, conducted mock interviews, participated in mock trials, shadowed

Even though the project is still in a developmental stage, it has yielded progressive results with some students successfully gaining admission – some with scholarships – into professional study to become barristers and solicitors.

The project is currently targeted at full-time law students but will be broadened out in future.

A FEMINIST APPROACH TO ART THERAPY Mental health patients will benefit from an initiative being developed for art psychotherapists by Toni Wright, Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, which uses a feminist approach.

Evidencing the benefits of feminist approaches to art therapy, a collaborative project with Kent, Sussex and Medway-based art psychotherapists, has developed an enhancement activity and resource hub using feminist approaches, which will enable therapists to think about the resources they draw on in their practice and the effect this has on their patients.

It will also have an impact upon the culture of care provision so that it becomes more person-centred and culturally aware.

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SOCIAL INJUSTICE IN HINDUISM

A research project by Dr David Burton, Senior Lecturer in Theology & Religious Studies, investigates films that challenge aspects of Hinduism and highlight issues of social justice and inclusion in Indian culture.

Social Injustice in Hinduism: Films as Critiques of Patriarchy and Caste examines the films of Deepa Mehta and Satyajit Ray as critiques of Hindu patriarchy. Mehta’s films have been met with hostility from Hindu conservatives and are a powerful indictment of male hegemony in Hinduism. The second part of the research project investigates Satyajit Ray’s films which critique the caste system and will consider whether such depictions in film of the inhumanity of the caste system do justice to the complex reality of social hierarchies and exclusion in India.

FOCUSING ON SOCIAL JUSTICE Robert Beckford

Raising awareness of social justice from the perspective of different religious traditions and minority groups, to inform both research and teaching, is the aim of the Research Collective on Social Justice.

Members of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities have combined their interest in social justice and political activism and presented at national and international conferences, exploring how budget cuts impact on society, particularly disadvantaged groups, challenging sexual norms and expectations and providing analyses on Social Justices in the US.

Documentary as exorcism Resisting the Bewitchment of Colonial Christianity

Professor Robert Beckford has also written a book which addresses the complicit relationship of Christianity with European expansion, slavery and colonialism as a historic manifestation of evil. Documentary as Exorcism: Resisting the Bewitchment of Colonial Christianity, looks at the church’s role in the subjugation and theological legitimation of black bodies and how ‘colonial Christianity’ and its malevolent or ‘occult’ practices must be exorcised. He has developed a new mode of documentary filmmaking that embeds emancipation from oppression in its aesthetics.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSION

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SUS TAIN ABILI TY

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According to the United Nations, the world will need 70% more food in the century ahead to feed a rapidly growing global population. This can only be achieved through improvements in the way it is produced and consumed.

At the same time, there is a need to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in food production to avoid the negative effects on consumers and the environment.

Finding sustainable ways to achieve closing the 70% gap between food which will be needed and which is available today, and preserving the natural habitat from air pollution, are concerning research staff in the School of Human and Life Sciences.

Chris Harvey’s main focus is on the use of biological pesticides against insect pests on crops. He is looking at insect-killing worms and fungi, which can be produced in large quantities and then sprayed like conventional pesticides as a ‘biological control’. This can then form part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy. He is also researching the biology and ecology of these organisms to ensure that they do not cause environmental problems themselves.

In order to maximise the benefits of biological controls, he is investigating the interactions between biological pesticides and their insect hosts, and collaborative research with colleagues is looking at how to control an emerging pest in fruit crops and the invasive fruit fly. He is also supervising students on projects for biological control on scale insect pests and biochar as an additive to poor soil to enhance crop yields.

FEED THE WORLD RESILIENT CROPS

CONSERVING GRASSLANDS

Naeem Syed is focusing on plant genes and the complexity of their internal ‘Circadian Clocks’, in order to understand how these mechanisms can develop more resilient crops for the future.

Grasslands are a major component of the global landscape, covering over half of the UK land area and are an important part of Europe’s biodiversity. Increasing and restoring Europe’s grasslands is a priority under the EU Habitats Directive. However long-term exposure to air pollutants, especially ozone concentration, is likely to have a negative effect and cause a change in plant communities.

As with our lives, nature would be chaotic without order and proper timing of events.

Plants respond to the day-night cycle and ever-changing environment around them. These activities are controlled by a cascade of genes responding to day-night and temperature cycles. In the absence of these triggers, plants use their own internal ‘Circadian Clocks’ to capture sunlight and use the sugars made and stored during the day at night.

The research has thrown up previously unrealised results that the master clock genes are alternatively spliced and control temperature responses. This is a breakthrough in understanding the complexity of the clock and the role it plays in plant life, especially when plants experience stresses like drought and flooding. Understanding circadian clock genes and the genetic basis of hybrid vigour, which has been elusive for more than a century, will enable the development of more resilient crops in the future.

Dr Naomi Rintoul has been researching the effects of increased ozone in field conditions in Northumberland to discover any negative effects. Ozone generators released ozone over a field at a concentration expected in the next 20 years. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs funded project found that there were significant negative effects on, not only the composition of species, but the beneficial fungi underground which was significantly reduced. The number of flowers produced was also reduced which would have a negative effect on pollination and the aesthetic value associated with semi-natural grasslands.

SUSTAINABILITY

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An investigation into the role and value of the creative and cultural industries and the impact that these have on economic and social change in coastal towns is being undertaken by COaST (Cultural Offers at Seaside Towns), led by Dr Andrew Jackson in the Business School.

REGENERATING COASTAL TOWNS COaST has worked with the Canterbury Festival and Prosper to develop a summer arts project in Whitstable and is working with the Turner Contemporary in Margate on a three-year audience research project.

EVALUATING TURNER CONTEMPORARY Turner Contemporary, a gallery and visual arts organisation based in Margate, is seeking insights into the profile of its visitors and their attitudes, and also a deeper understanding of the social impact of the organisation’s activities on Margate and the surrounding area of Thanet.

Over the next three years, COaST will be conducting an exit survey of 300 gallery visitors at each exhibition. Information collected includes biographical details, motivation for visiting the gallery and feedback on the facilities and exhibits, as well as an estimation of time and money spent at the gallery and surrounding area. Working in collaboration with Audience Agency (an Arts Council England supported audience development team), this information will be used to identify benchmarks and suggestions to increase and diversify visitor numbers.

The second part of the project will investigate the social impact on the users of the gallery and on the people and communities of Margate and Thanet. This will involve engaging with a range of stakeholders in the area and then, in combination with the exit research data, evaluating the social impact of Turner Contemporary in the region.

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“Research is hugely important to Turner Contemporary,” explained Richard Morsley, Deputy Director Turner Contemporary. “Comprehensive research data help us to identify key audiences, learn about our visitors, assess our engagement with those we come into contact with, and the role of the gallery as a catalyst for change in Margate and the wider area. We’re delighted to be working with Canterbury Christ Church University, whose specialist knowledge and expertise will enable us to understand our audiences more fully, deepen our knowledge about our social impact and support the gallery’s assessment as a catalyst for regeneration, which will be instrumental in developing our strategic planning. This new three-year partnership is very exciting for the gallery, giving us new insight into our activities and the opportunity to work with a renowned local academic institution, its staff and students.”

CULTURAL REGENERATION Understanding how cultural activities can change people’s lives, make them feel better, become more open, reflective individuals and contribute more positively to the community and environment in which they live, is the aim of Cultural Value and Social Capital, a project commissioned by the Arts & Humanities Research Council as part of their Cultural Value Project (CVP) This project combined the specialist expertise of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health and Nick Ewbank Associates, a private sector consultancy firm. The investigation focused on cultural organisations in Margate, Folkestone and Bexhill and on three main areas of enquiry: reflective individuals and engaged citizens; urban regeneration and community dynamics; and improvements to health and wellbeing.

A diverse range of over 600 people took part in the project and all of them acknowledged the current positive impact of culture on health and wellbeing. They expressed an aspiration to develop this further in the future, linking social capital to cultural projects they offer in order to promote better health and wellbeing across a wider range of community groups.

The research will underpin future strategy on policies and practice, including health sector referral programmes and guidance packages for regional/local providers of art.

INSECT PHEROMONES Insects play an important role in biodiversity, but their populations are declining with a disproportionately high number of threatened species. Dr Joe Burman’s research, PheroBio Project, uses synthetically produced sex pheromones to attract and monitor rare and declining insect populations to find out what is leading to their decline.

SUSTAINABILITY

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NATURE’S WAY Building children’s confidence through exciting woodland adventures and teaching them life-long skills in a fun way is part of Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) Community Education programme.

The inspirational project is based on a Scandinavian idea developed in the 1950s that a child’s contact with nature at an early age is extremely important.

They can increase their knowledge and understating of the world and appreciate and respect the environment through their exploration and discovery of a wild setting.

The six week adventure includes shelter building and teaches them practical skills of how to use tools, assessing risk and safety, communication and team work as well as maths and science.

The Academic Business Partnership at the University is evaluating the Forest School programme for Kent Wildlife Trust, to find ways of strengthening and improving the offer for schools in the future.

“The evaluation of the programme has shown the benefits of Forest School and highlighted useful points to develop future delivery,” Kathryn Barton, Community Education Officer Forest School, explained. “In addition, it has provided important evidence for publicity, our funders and for engaging more schools in the project.”

NATIVE WILD CARNIVORES Understanding people’s attitudes to the re-introduction of native carnivores into the wild is now being researched, in order to identify and address points of conflict between them and wildlife. Wildlife and People Initiative is also producing a database on attitudes towards zoos, to investigate the role of zoos in promoting awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the role of carnivores in biodiversity maintenance.

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The strong relationship with KWT, and many other external partners, was established with the Connecting Children and Nature project, funded by the Department of Childhood Studies and the University’s Futures Initiative.

Connecting Children and Nature Network (CCNN), supported with investment from Artswork, the South East Bridge for Arts Council England, is building upon this network and developing an innovative Arts Award project with heritage organisations including KWT and Stour Valley Arts. This will promote outdoor art to children and young people, in conjunction with a Kent primary school.

CCNN will also provide Arts Award Advisor training to a group of students undertaking a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

HEALTH A N D WEL LB EI N G

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DISCOVERING WHY HIV IS DIAGNOSED LATE Recent research has found a worrying trend in late diagnosis of HIV. This is particularly true of older female patients, not previously thought of as high risk. This late diagnosis creates greater health implications for these patients, as it is more likely that the virus will have already seriously damaged their immune system.

A major international research project to identify the reasons why many people continue to present late for an HIV test when they think they might have been infected, has just been completed by the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing and the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health and led by Dr Stephen O’Connor, Reader at the University.

The results show that, unsurprisingly, people are put off attending genitourinary clinics because of issues with accessibility and the stigma still attached to this virus. This situation is not helped by the attitude of many GPs who still have a perception that HIV is a disease affecting homosexuals, bisexuals and certain ethnic minorities. This outdated belief prevents them from actually listening to their patients who fall outside these categories. Many patients also feel that their GP knows too little about HIV, or the needs of those who might be affected, and are consequently at risk of not having a diagnosis in time to benefit from modern treatments.

Experiences of acute hospital services were mixed, with some reporting positive and others very negative experiences of care and diagnosis. In some cases, unhelpful and inaccurate information was given to patients and their relatives about transmission risk resulting in relationship problems, stigma and isolation for those concerned. Both healthcare professionals and patients felt that HIV testing should be done routinely on sexually active adults to reduce stigma of the illness and increase the number of people diagnosed early.

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They also identified that better education and training for healthcare professionals was needed, along with improved communication skills.

All those interviewed believe that well targeted information that is non-sensational but explanatory should be aimed at not only the most at risk of infection, including children, young adults in schools, universities and the workplace, but the general public as well. However, nobody wanted a campaign to copy the startling health warnings of the 1990s.

The results from the IMPRESS Health 2 project will now be used to improve local services and pilot specific interventions locally and nationally.

PUTTING PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF DECISIONS

Creating an environment where the patient and their needs and concerns are at the centre of all decisions made by healthcare professionals in all settings and at all times, is the aspiration of The England Centre for Practice Development (ECPD).

This research and innovation centre, hosted and supported by the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, is working with an international community of practice developers (IPDC) to cultivate a critical mass of transformational leaders to inspire others and innovate services and practices at the point of care, to ensure they are personcentred, safer, more effective and sustainable. This is being achieved through innovative international Practice Development Schools, PhD programmes and an international community of practice for PhD students, a Masters in Practice Development and Innovation, as well as international research and development activities through the IPDC and Practice for Person-centred Practice Research (PcPR).

One of the key concepts in person-centredness is hope, but one which has been under-researched. The PcPR is undertaking collaborative work with colleagues in Scotland, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Norway to discover how hope impacts on a person-centred approach. What person-centredness actually means to people is being explored by ECPD with indigenous older people in New South Wales, Australia. Aspire to Inspire is a three-year participatory practice development programme which hopes to get definitive answers.

Providing first class care for people close to or in the home is also high on ECPD’s agenda. In order to deliver the Government’s vision to promote safe workplace cultures and practices to produce effective health outcomes, ECPD is working collaboratively with key regional and national stakeholders, funded by Health Education England, NHS England and the Department of Health. It is:

2. d esigning and implementing new workforce activity tools that underpin the development of safer integrated community adult, child and mental health services, keeping people out of hospital and reducing inappropriate hospital admissions 3. d esigning new tools that capture and demonstrate the impact that continuing professional education has on patient experience and patient outcomes. There are no obvious tools or frameworks internationally that have successfully captured the link between education, training and improvements in health outcomes. This approach will be directly beneficial to Higher Education Institutions in the UK. Other pioneering work carried out by the Centre, includes partnerships with East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and joint clinical chair model to develop a Quality Innovation Hub, clinical leadership programmes to develop transformational leadership for healthcare professionals, and an aspiring consultant practitioner programme – which is the only one of its kind in England.

The ECPD also hosts the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Dementia Care Innovation Hub (DCIH), building communities where people with dementia can live and flourish in a friendly atmosphere. It is part of the Kent Dementia Action Alliance and is supporting the University’s aspiration for a Dementia Friendly Faculty to develop a creative curriculum from undergraduate to PhD level.

1. designing and testing new roles and programmes of learning to transform Integrated Urgent and Emergency Care Services in East Kent (with East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust, Kent Ambulance Service and Kent Community Health Care Trust)

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

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There is increasing recognition that people’s health is not just about an absence of disease or infirmity, but is also reliant on psychological and social factors.

Most people come away from a theatre, art exhibition, concert or dance feeling uplifted and happier, but actually participating in the arts is proving to be really beneficial, especially for older people.

THE ARTS AND WELLBEING Research into the impact of the arts on the wellbeing of older people is being carried out by the Sidney De Haan Research Centre. It is researching the effects and benefits of singing, dance and movement and digital technology on older people.

SINGING A study on the benefits of group singing for people with chronic respiratory illness was funded by The Dunhill Trust and explored the feasibility of weekly community singing for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It also assessed the impact on lung function, breathlessness, health status and quality of life.

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Over 100 people with mild to very severe COPD participated in six weekly singing groups across East Kent, over a 10 month period. Significant improvements in breathing were found in those who maintained their participation and their overall health improved, but most of all they had enjoyed singing and that had improved their sense of physical, mental and social wellbeing.

TRANSPORTATION FROM STRESS

DANCE AND ARTS

Using creative dance and movement and digital technology to support health and wellbeing in older people was a project commissioned by Arts Council England, via the Canterbury Festival.

The aim was to see if combining these forms of creative art would bring about ‘transformation’ and ‘transportation’ affecting physical, mental and social wellbeing in older people.

Evaluating the benefits to health and wellbeing of dance and arts activities for older people in Medway and Gravesham was the aim of edna: energise, dance, nourish, art, commissioned by North Kent Local Authorities Arts Partnership and led by Ann Skingley, Senior Lecturer in the Sidney De Haan Centre.

Led by StevensonThompson and the Sidney De Haan Centre, and drawing on the expertise of a wide range of partners, the older women of Moving Memory Company choreographed a series of dance/movement pieces based on real-life stories of older people.

During performances, digital artists choreographed their own spontaneous images onto a back screen according to the dancers’ movements on the stage. The dancers interacted with the projected images with stunning effect.

An evaluation of Moving Well, a Prosper Adventure Project, from the perspective of performers, audience members and arts practitioners, found that the participants had felt motivated, creatively enabled, connected, and mentally and physically exercised in a supportive environment. At the same time they were transported away from everyday stress triggers and had a cathartic journey and feeling of ‘moving on’. Two new measuring tools have been developed as a result of the findings.

“The evaluation of the Moving Well project has been a key feature of the Prosper Project,” Jayne Thompson, co-director of StevensonThompson and performer in the Moving Memory Company, explained. “It has been crucial in enabling StevensonThompson to illustrate the physical and cognitive benefits to be gained from the creative practice and collaboration we are involved in.”

Working in partnership with Trinity Laban Dance Conservatoire, the project invited two groups of people over 50 years old to take part in a 12-week dance and arts programme, led by one artist and one dancer. Venues where little uptake in arts activities were chosen and two-thirds of the participants had no recent experience of arts or dance.

“From the outset I was impressed with the older people’s enthusiasm and commitment,” explained Wendy Knight, Development Officer at Medway Older People’s Partnership.

“During the project I witnessed genuine enjoyment from all involved and the one word I would use to describe the whole 12 weeks would be ‘happiness’. The participants were always smiling and we all laughed a lot. They were full of ideas and were prepared to have a go at anything.”

The research found that all the participants expressed enjoyment and physical, psychological and social benefits from the project.

There were significant improvements in balance, posture and shoulder mobility in some, while health-related quality of life and psychological impact for many others showed a substantial improvement.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

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GETTING THE NATION FITTER A large proportion of UK citizens are not getting enough exercise, which is causing health problems, both physical and psychological, and consequently placing a considerable burden on economic and social capital.

Changing this behaviour is a challenge which Dr Mark Uphill from the School of Human and Life Sciences, has been working on with the British Psychological Society’s Behaviour Change Advisory Group. They have been advising policy makers about the psychology of behaviour change which has produced the All Party Commission Report on Physical Inactivity. The Report calls for a coordinated and strategic approach to changing physical activity and the forthcoming second Report will give more detailed proposals to enhance the physical activity of the nation, based on the work of the Behaviour Change Advisory Group.

Also concerned with the amount of physical activity and exercise taken, but by cardiac patients, is Kate Woolf-May, Principal Research Fellow in the School of Human and Life Sciences.

MENTAL ILLNESS AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

She, along with Steve Meadows from the University of Kent, has found that post-heart attack patients performing the same amount of physical exercise as a healthy individual are actually working at a higher intensity and using up more energy. It is important, therefore, to take this into account when planning an exercise programme for cardiac patients. Their research project, Clinical Exercise Science, aims to provide a more effective and appropriate exercise prescription during cardiac rehabilitation at intensities sufficient to produce health benefits with minimum risk.

People with severe mental illness have significantly poorer physical health compared with the general population, which leads to high mortality rates.

Providing informed, individualised care plans for these patients is possible with enhanced physical health screening programmes.

The serious mental illness Health Improvement Profile (HIP), devised by Dan Bressington, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, in collaboration with colleagues from Castle Peak Hospital Hong Kong, and Hamad Medical Corporation Qatar, was used as a screening tool for 148 community dwelling patients with severe mental illness in Hong Kong, and repeated 12 months later. The promising results found a significant improvement in selfreported levels of exercise and a reduction in the numbers of patients prescribed medication for diabetes.

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PULMONARY REHABILITATION FOR PRISONERS People in prison do not receive the same level of care and diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as patients in the community.

In order to address this inequality, Dr Julie MacInnes and Sonia Page from the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, together with Nina Turner and Helen Jefford from Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and fitness instructors from Maidstone Prison, set up the Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Prisons project. The project proved that pulmonary rehabilitation can be provided in prisons safely and effectively, making a real difference to the lives of patients with COPD in terms of respiratory functioning and wellbeing.

The team won a prestigious Nursing Times Award for innovative practice, a respiratory care category, in October 2013.

The team has now produced a guide to setting up and delivering a pulmonary rehabilitation programme in prisons, which has been endorsed by the British Lung Foundation and will be rolled out to other prisons and, in the future, will include other long-term health conditions.

PREVENTING SUICIDES Suicides and suicidal tendencies is on the increase in the older generation, despite the fact that its prevention is a priority for health care in the UK. Dr Ian Marsh, Senior Lecturer in the School of Allied Health Professions, is leading a review on the suicide prevention strategy for older adults in Kent and Medway, in conjunction with the Public Health lead for suicide prevention for Kent and organisations such as the Police, Samaritans, Accident and Emergency, Mental Health Trust, charities and older people themselves.

Findings from the review will form the basis of an action plan for the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Group to take forward.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

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RECOVER IN G PAST L IV ES

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He fell inside an active volcano, was shot in the neck with an arrow, dressed as a miner to avoid attack in the American West, became friends with the King of Hawaii, and travelled to six continents, but still Julius Brenchley remains a relatively unknown English explorer.

THE GREATEST EXPLORER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF Born in 1816 near Maidstone, he travelled extensively for forty years leading up to his death in 1873, including significant trips to North America and the South Pacific.

His collections started to go on display at Maidstone Museum from 1867 but only a fraction of the items are on public display.

Sam Hitchmough, Senior Lecturer in American Studies, has been working with the museum to create a virtual museum that showcases over two hundred pieces that Brenchley brought back from his encounters with a number of indigenous nations along the Pacific Northwest coast and Hawaii.

Brenchley’s exhibition reached the public at the same time as the travelling exhibition

of painter George Catlin in the 1840s and when Darwin’s theories were being discussed, and not long before Buffalo Bills’ Wild West Shows came to Britain.

His artefacts have enabled us to see how American Indians and the Wild West were represented and perceived and how they reinforced or challenged popular stereotypes of the time. The collection still stimulates debate on how stereotypes are formed and the motivations of a Victorian ‘gentleman explorer’ and collector. It also questions the ethics of repatriating spiritually important artefacts and human remains as well as the role of museums in education.

The Brenchley project is part of the first year American Studies programme and students have the opportunity to research specific artefacts or Brenchley himself, or create museum catalogues or produce projects for schools. Maidstone Museum hosts explorer’s day for schools and the website has pages for primary and secondary schools.

Contact with tribal groups in America and Canada has opened discussions about how American Indian history is taught in the US and UK, and e-pal schemes between Kent schools and American colleges in the future will explore culture and national identity.

CONNECTING KENT Bringing the public’s attention to writers and literature associated with Kent, from medieval Canterbury through to 21st century living authors was the focus of a blog created by Dr Carolyn Oulton, Director of the International Centre for Victorian Women Writers, with the help of social media consultants, Little&Loud.

Kent Connections literary blogging used social media to reach as many people as possible, especially young people who might be put off by more traditional reading projects. Running throughout the summer term, the project featured blogs by academics, as well as postgraduate and undergraduate students from the English and Creative and Professional Writing courses. It was promoted via Twitter and successfully attracted a wide audience.

RECOVERING PAST LIVES

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MEMORIES OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR Spain was a deeply divided country in the 1930s, torn between right-wing Nationalist and left-wing Republican parties.

The country had been badly hit by the Great Depression after the Wall Street Crash, the military dictatorship collapsed and when the Republicans came to power in 1931, the King abdicated. Because of the country’s continuing instability, Francisco Franco led an army rebellion to forcibly remove the Republicans from power in 1936, and civil war ensued.

People’s memories of the civil war are being captured by Dr Ruth Sanz Sabido, Lecturer in Media, Art and Design, in collaboration with Professor Stuart Price of De Montfort University and the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory.

The study focuses on Arroyomolinos de Leon, a small village in Huelva, and its surrounding area, which was among the first to be affected by repressive practices after Franco’s uprising.

The local focus on this village is considered in relation to the wider national context, and findings are relevant to the broader experience of the war in rural Spain.

These experiences are characterised by the repressive practices that emerged amongst relatives, friends and neighbours in small communities. In addition, a critical contribution to the literature on this period is presented, including the experiences of women in the anti-fascist struggle, the socio-economic conditions of the time, and the Agrarian Reform.

The first phase of this long-term project is concerned with the recovery of original records and oral testimonies from residents of the village to provide a critical analysis of social memories of the civil war, 1936-1939.

PRESERVING KENT LIFE ON FILM

Appealing to the public to hunt through their attics and cellars for old cine film they might have forgotten has produced a large collection of films showing the Canterbury district in the 1920s and 30s.

Tim Jones, Senior Lecturer in Media, Art and Design, has been researching amateur film-making in the local area and is amazed at the quality and professionalism of the films. A collection of 72 films made by Sydney Bligh, many of which are in colour, are a unique record of life in Canterbury before the war, a highlight of which is the first performance of Murder in the Cathedral with T.S. Elliot.

Tim gives regular public screenings of the films, inviting the audience to participate with any knowledge they have of the time and members of the public are helping to catalogue the films.

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RECOVERING TUDOR MUSIC

006 and 10 February 2007 an, Giraffe Productions

Dr David Humphreys, who made ilder’s music inspired this project; to perform his reconstruction of dition of Turn thou us.

Knitting together fragments of surviving Tudor music with newly composed material is bringing new life to lost pieces of music.

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ta Classics, London

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14/08/2013 12:04

Recording of sacred music of Philip van Wilder is a project David Allinson, Director of Music and Musical Director of the Renaissance Singers, worked on with composer Stef Conner.

David has been the Musical Director of the Renaissance Singers, one of the most prestigious amateur early music ensembles in the UK, for several years. In 2013 they took part in the Adopt a Composer scheme, which is funded by the PRS for Music Foundation and run by Making Music and Sound and Music. The scheme gives amateur orchestras or choirs the opportunity to ‘adopt’ an up-and-coming composer to produce a new piece of music,

culminating in a premiere performance.

They adopted Stef and produced an innovative, atmospheric composition which blended the historical with new contemporary work.

David gave Stef some surviving fragments of Tudor music by Philip van Wilder, a Dutch lutenist and composer who was Henry VIII’s favourite musician, and she found a series of poetic texts relating to the partial destruction of Waltham Abbey during the Reformation, to put with the pieces. The finished composition was premiered at Waltham Abbey and broadcast by Radio 3.

“I was thrilled to be introduced to the Renaissance Singers through the Adopt a Composer scheme,” Stef explained. ”David came up with the idea of performing incomplete and fragmentary pieces,

which could be completed into new contemporary works. The choir and I were excited by the idea of weaving new compositions into the old ones. We wanted the renaissance pieces to somehow melt into the new compositions. Waltham Abbey was the perfect venue to present our programme.”

David has also recorded the Complete Sacred Music of Philip van Wilder on Toccata Classics, with the Cantores Chamber Choir, which he founded in 1998. Wilder was a key figure in the development of English music during the 16th century. He knew Thomas Tallis and was a great influence on William Byrd.

Many of the Wilder pieces on the disc were first recordings. Around them are works by Josquin, Tallis and Byrd, chosen to show the direct and indirect influences at work.

FROM BOHEMIA TO EAST KENT Nearly 1,600 sacred Jewish Torah scrolls, which had been looted

by Nazis during the war, were discovered in a synagogue in Prague in 1964 and brought to London. They were restored and loaned to many Jewish communities across the world.

The Thanet and District Reform Synagogue, based in Ramsgate, treasures a scroll saved from the Bohemian town of Klatovy. The moving story of its journey to Thanet is told on an online multimedia resource developed by Andrew Miller, a third year student intern in the School of Humanities.

Dr Maria Diemling, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies is leading a project that examines how these Torah scrolls link Czech communities that perished in the Holocaust to existing Jewish synagogues. A Cry From The Past investigates how these precious and highly valuable sacred texts create a strong bond across history between very different communities.

RECOVERING PAST LIVES

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IMPROV IN G LI VES T HROU GH INC LUS I VE E DUC AT IO N

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Mothers have been singing to their babies for generations and lullabies have been passed down through the years not only to pacify babies, but to share moments of intimacy and bonding

SINGING TO BABIES Whilst this is very natural in a home setting, it is far more challenging in daycare settings. Recent research demonstrated that practitioners working in daycare settings often find it difficult to talk to babies for a variety of reasons and are unsure of its value. The result is that moments of intimacy between carers and babies are few and far between. To help overcome this barrier, two connected projects explore how singing to and with babies might be initiated, nurtured and supported.

Friedrich Froebel, a German educationalist who established the first kindergartens in 1840 and laid the foundations for modern education systems, believed in the importance of singing and its multiple, beneficial effects for babies and their carers. He encouraged strong partnerships between mothers and people working in kindergartens and thought that sharing songs would support this relationship.

The Baby songs and Mother songs project, led by Professor Sacha Powell, Director of

the Research Centre for Children, Families and Communities and Dr Kathy Goouch, Reader at the University, is funded by the Froebel Trust and the Ragdoll Foundation.

Sacha and Kathy are working with local nurseries and childcare centres to discuss Froebel’s principles. They are developing ways to help practitioners overcome their inhibitions and incorporate songs and rhymes in their everyday routine to nurture intimate interactions with babies through lullabies and songs, either from their own childhood or from popular culture.

Making a difference where it matters most

Saturday 12 July 2014 10am - 1pm Rowan Williams Court, Medway Campus (refreshments included) Canterbury Christ Church University invites staff, students, early years practitioners and teachers to this exciting event at our Medway Campus to: • Share research • Showcase quality practice • Strengthen and promote a Medway-based Community of Early Years Practice The event will offer keynote presentations and interactive workshops including: • ‘IMPRovIng PRovISIon foR tWo-YEaR oldS thRoUgh RESEaRCh-lEd dEvEloPMEnt’ dr Sacha Powell, Canterbury Christ Church University • SPaRklE In MId-kEnt – PRoMotIng InClUSIvE PRaCtICE In EaRlY YEaRS SEttIng (Sandra douglas , paediatric occupational therapist)

To book a place aT This free evenT please email: makingadifference@canterbury.ac.uk

A COMMUNITY OF EARLY YEARS PRACTICE The Faculty of Education is hosting a ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP) for the early years practitioners in the Medway region. This builds upon the successful series of learning activities and events developed for the New Leaders in Early Years course.

IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

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INCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY Mastering technology is far easier if you have been exposed to it from a young age. This is especially true if you have visual impairment.

Research indicates that programmers and software developers who are registered blind are more willing to attempt visual programming if they are trained using mainstream or augmented mainstream technologies in their early education.

Simon Hayhoe, Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies, has devised a pilot inclusive technology course run at the London School of Economics (LSE) for students from the LSE and Christ Church. The course uses mainstream mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, to facilitate inclusion in LSE and Christ Church lectures, seminars and other learning activities.

TEACHING FOR LIFE There are increasing numbers of children with life limiting or life threatening conditions in mainstream schools.

The symptoms of their condition and its treatment can interfere with a child’s whole school experience and many children and parents feel under-supported by schools.

The Teaching for Life project, conducted by the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, explored the needs of teachers in relation to working with

children with these conditions, in order to be more supportive in this difficult situation.

Teachers felt that easier and quicker access to information and support from teachers with prior experience would help them in these circumstances.

SCHOOLS AND THE PUPIL PREMIUM The pupil premium was introduced in 2011, providing extra funding to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

Use and impact of the pupil premium research project, led by Ian Durrant, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, and funded by the Society for Educational Studies, aimed to find out how schools are managing this initiative.

The research found that there was inconsistency in reporting, due to a lack of clear guidance from central government/Ofsted and parents did not have a full grasp of the aims and uses of the pupil premium. It also found that very few schools investigated return on investment, but with more guidance, would be prepared to do so.

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Teaching Assistants (TAs) can play a vital role in helping Teachers to create an environment where children are able to have the best educational experience.

This is particularly important for children with learning disabilities.

GETTING THE MOST FROM SCHOOL Inspired Educators is a project initiated by Mencap to support Head Teachers, Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) and Teachers to maximise the potential of TAs to improve the school experience for over 36,000 children with learning disabilities.

Project, delivered six seminars across the country to guide Head Teachers, other school leaders and SENCos through the comprehensive research into the impact of support staff and explored successful strategies to increase their effectiveness.

In partnership with the Institute of Education (IOE) and in collaboration with six national teaching schools, Inspired Educators provided free training to over 150 mainstream schools across England with the aim to optimise the impact of TAs.

An evaluation of the project was conducted by the Faculty of Education and initial findings show that the seminars have brought into focus areas where improvements were needed, such as communication between Teachers and TAs and the effective use of time spent with them.

Mencap, together with the research team behind the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff in Schools (DISS)

Encouragingly, a high majority of schools were developing an action plan or had already one in place as a result of the project.

“The evaluation carried out by Simon Ellis and his team has been really positive,” James Bradley, Development Manager at Mencap explained. “So far, it has allowed us to make improvements to our delivery model, but there is still more to come. We hope that further evaluation will allow us to state with confidence the difference our project has made to schools around the country.”

An evaluation into the impact of the project on Head Teachers, SENCos, Teachers and TAs and an assessment on the sustainability of this impact, along with recommendations of how to develop the training in future, will be carried out once all the data has been gathered.

BLOGGING Engaging busy teachers in a stimulating and accessible way is the aim of the Faculty of Education blog.

ConsiderEd was launched in 2013 and has been read by thousands from across the world. It is at the forefront of a new medium of communication with the education community.

Written by both academics and students, topics range from policy and curriculum matters to philosophy. ConsiderEd also welcomes anyone wanting to contribute: www.consider-ed.org.uk.

IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

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A RTS AN D C ULTUR E

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THE ESSENCE OF CITIES The sights and smells specific to individual cities are captured and reproduced on innovative smellmaps, enabling people to absorb the distinctive essence that is part of the make-up of that city.

The maps also tell the stories behind the smells which have been gathered from smell walkers and the general public.

Notes on how different people interpreted the same smell show how individualised smell perception is. The notes can also demonstrate smell responses, including disgust, and the motion graphic smellmaps illustrate the complexity and shifting nature of smells and how they relate to the infrastructure of cities.

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paris and Manchester have all been mapped, and the National Library of Scotland has archived several of the Scottish maps. The Amsterdam smellmap was researched and designed in conjunction with International Flavours & Fragrances (IFF) in Hilversum. The collaborative project comprises two visual maps of the urban smellscapes, a motion graphic and audio smellwalk as well as 11 individual scents and one composite fragrance created by IFF.

“The challenge for this project,” explains Florent Leblanc from IFF, “was to translate everyday smells into scents, regardless of whether they were pleasant or not. Some of our first attempts were too pretty or complex. It was really interesting to be pushed to make more ‘raw’ scents, which is completely different from our usual requests!”

Tourists, visitors and local residents get a real sense of what particular cities smell like and can retrace their own personal city smellscapes through these maps created

by Kate Mclean, Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design.

ARTS AND CULTURE

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Engaging the public in experimental sounds by using airwaves creatively is at the heart of Radio Arts mission to open people’s minds to the vast possibilities of radio and sound art.

CREATIVE AIRWAVES Exhibiting at a variety of venues, including in the main museum at the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge in Canterbury, The Turner Contemporary in Margate and the Old Lookout Gallery, Broadstairs, the Radio Arts Showcase has inspired and amazed nearly 3000 visitors.

Radio Arts is an independent artists’ group based in East Kent, which uses airwaves in experimental creative broadcasting. It has expanded its practice across Kent, holding workshops in acoustic ecology, field recording, transmitter-building, Duchamp-inspired ‘radical vox-pops’ and all facets of radio art activity.

Radio Art workshops, themed around sirens, were part of the Whitstable Biennale and Folkestone Triennial Fringe and engaged new audiences which were previously unaware of the art form.

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Senior Lecturer and Radio Arts researcher, Magz Hall, who runs the group, along with Jim Backhouse and digital artists Tim Pickup and Nicola Schauerman, believe passionately that airwaves are a public space that should be open to all for creative purposes.

The Old Lookout Gallery in Broadstairs, used by Radio Arts, commissioned the Department of Professional Development to evaluate the impact of the Gallery on visitors and the local community.

The research findings are assisting the School of Media, Art and Design, which manages the Gallery, to better understand its audiences and what they would like to see in the future.

Voicing your complaints and aspirations through song is the root of The Future Choir of Folkestone

A CHOIR OF COMPLAINTS The concept was originally conceived by two Finnish artists as a literal expression of the Finnish phrase ‘a chorus of complaints’. 164 singers from choirs in and around Folkestone were invited to send in their complaints and aspirations for their local town and perform a newly composed choral piece based on these submissions.

Most of the singers were recruited from health choirs run by the Sidney De Haan Centre and the film of the event featured as a video installation at the Folkestone Triennial.

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL International music festival The Sounds New Festival draws a global audience and has become one of the UK’s leading festivals dedicated to promoting contemporary music, attracting world-class composers and performers.

2014 saw the most exciting line-up that Sounds New has produced in its 18-year history and in which staff and students from the University’s School of Music and Performing Arts also took part.

One of the world’s leading contemporary music ensembles, the London Sinfonietta, performed at the University’s St Gregory’s Centre for a five day residency and world leading saxophonist, Evan Parker, performed a special 70th birthday concert alongside John Harle, Senior Lecturer in Music and Performing Arts, performing world premieres of works created by Christ Church students.

The main focus of this year’s festival, however, was on the music of Canterbury legend Robert Wyatt in an exhibition by Janek Schaefer at the Sidney Cooper Gallery and a unique recomposition of his album ‘Cuckooland’. This brought together the Brodsky Quartet and vocalist Elaine Mitchener, arranger Tony Hymas and live laptop sampling from Dr Matt Wright, Reader in Music and Performing Arts and Guest Artistic Director of the Festival.

ARTS AND CULTURE

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The reconstruction of the historic Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate is being recorded on a series of unique tintype images to complement the historical Dreamland images already in existence.

CAPTURING THE RESURRECTION OF DREAMLAND A darkroom has been built on-site and plates prepared, created and developed in situ, often resulting in artefacts from the site physically appearing on the final film. The second phase of the collaborative photographic research project between Rob Ball, Senior Lecturer in Media, Art and Design, and the Dreamland Trust, will be made on colour film and will continue until the Park opens in 2015.

FOOD AND RELIGION Food is important to us all and it also plays an important role in many religious cultures. In particular, it creates and maintains a sense of identity in Jewish life.

Many ancient Jewish dietary laws need to be negotiated in a rapidly changing world. A recent Knowledge Exchange project, by Dr Maria Diemling, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies, examined how difficult it is to observe these laws when living in a small community remote from major Jewish institutions and provisions, and on a limited pension.

Further study into the link between food and social justice explores how conscious food choices take ecological and animal welfare concerns into consideration and how this can be linked with the Jewish tenet to ‘mend the world’.

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If you require this publication in an alternative format, please contact the Corporate Communications Unit.

Email: corporatecommunications@canterbury.ac.uk

This publication gives a snapshot of the diverse range of exciting research and knowledge exchange activity undertaken across the University, and how our pursuit of knowledge and understanding is transforming societies and improving individuals’ lives.

If you would like more information on any of our research projects, or would like to contribute to future projects, please contact us: Email: RED.RKEdevelopment@canterbury.ac.uk or visit our website: www.canterbury.ac.uk

Canterbury North Holmes Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1QU +44 (0) 1227 767700 www.canterbury.ac.uk Broadstairs Northwood Road, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 2WA +44 (0) 1843 609120 www.canterbury.ac.uk/broadstairs Medway Rowan Williams Court, 30 Pembroke Court, Chatham, Kent ME4 4UF +44 (0) 1634 890800 www.canterbury.ac.uk/medway Salomons Centre Runcie Court, David Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TF +44 (0) 3330 117101 www.canterbury.ac.uk/salomons

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