Creative Communities Podcast

What if the future of journalism started by asking communities what they actually want and need?  Join Community Innovation Practitioner Shirish Kulkarni from Cardiff University in Blaenau Ffestiniog, a post-industrial town in North Wales shaped by its slate-mining heritage, Welsh language and strong sense of community. His research looks at how communities can have more control over the stories,...

How can creativity strengthen belonging, connection and cultural participation in devolution?  Join Community Innovation Practitioner Ruth Flanagan from the University of Manchester in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. She looks at how heritage craft and making together can help people connect with their communities, their history and the place they call home.  Rochdale is a diverse borough shaped by...

What if local people didn’t just get asked what they thought about culture, but had a real say in shaping what happens next?  Join Community Innovation Practitioner Dr Claire Tymon from the University of Huddersfield in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, as she explores how local people can play a bigger role in the cultural life of the places where they live.  As part of her research, Claire is developing...

What happens to a creative city when the people shaping its cultural life can’t find affordable, long-term space to stay, work and create?  Join Community Innovation Practitioner Eilish Victoria from the University of Dundee as she asks how community wealth building could help Dundee’s creative community access the spaces they need to thrive.  Working with Creative Dundee, Eilish brings together a...

What makes a place feel like it belongs to you — and what makes you feel like you belong there?  Join Community Innovation Practitioner Lisa Rea Currie from Queen’s University Belfast in Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland, as she explores why heritage spaces can feel welcoming to some communities but distant or out of reach to others.  Working with local people, community partners and the Natio...

When regeneration brings new investment and opportunity to a place, how do you make sure the people already there have a say in what comes next?  Join Community Innovation Practitioner Dr Sara Hassan from the University of Birmingham in Digbeth, Birmingham, as she explores how regeneration can support growth without losing the creativity, relationships and sense of belonging that already make the...

What can devolution unlock for the UK’s creative communities?  Hosted by Professor Katy Shaw, Director of the AHRC Creative Communities Programme, the Creative Communities Podcast returns with six new stories showing what happens when communities, co-creation, cross-sector partnerships and research and innovation come together.  Travel from Dundee, Birmingham, Rochdale and Kirklees to Ards and Nor...

“ We are more than a mass of cells, more than a diagnosis, more than the label of service user and carer. Music connects with that, to make it real and bring it to life.” How can we amplify the community voices and foster health and well-being in collaboration with practitioners and music? Join Community Innovation Practitioner and classically trained cellist Georgina Aasgaard from the University...

“The success story is a change of culture internally. That's really difficult to do. Changing the direction of a massive ship while it's in transit is a tough thing.” How can an accessible, design-led approach support genuine community engagement and collaboration? Join Community Innovation Practitioner and researcher Gaston Welisch from Glasgow School of Art as he explores how the University of G...

“This research project has given us a responsibility to do this. It’s put Portrush on the map as a skating destination.” How can collaboration and co-creation among skaters, partners, and local authorities build a stronger, inclusive and vibrant skateboarding community in Portrush? Join Community Innovation Practitioner and Research Fellow Jim Donaghey from Ulster University, as he explores the po...

“Heritage doesn't matter if no one's going to engage with it. Changing how heritage is now used and interpreted means more audiences will engage with it.” How are communities working together to breathe new life into post-industrial heritage sites? Join Community Innovation Practitioner and Archaeologist Alex Langlands from Swansea University on a heritage journey through the Welsh valleys.  In th...

“I wasn't expecting this project to impact us in the way it has. It's breaking a generational cycle and it builds human connection. We've seen this happen in our group.” How can collaboration and creativity tackle the stigma of addiction and trauma? Join Community Innovation Practitioner and Local Coordinator Áine Brady from Queens University in Belfast, as she explores the transformative power of...

Is collaboration rather than competition the key to unlocking a stronger, fairer UK? Could Creative Communities be the answer?  This preview of our brand new Creative Communities podcast series introduces you to some of the people and stories featured in the upcoming episodes, and gives you a sneak peek of how the power of creativity and co-creation in research is supercharging social change in ou...

What happens when you unleash the collective power of diverse communities, partners, research, and creativity?  The new Creative Communities podcast explores how groundbreaking cultural research, creativity and inclusive innovation in communities can empower us to build a stronger, more resilient UK. Over six episodes, hear inspiring stories of change from across the UK. You’ll meet five Community...