Resilience, Recovery & Happiness: Wellbeing Evaluation Consultant
Resilience, Recovery, Happiness is an action research project by Bassajamba CIC; Music Action International and The University of Manchester; funded by The Wellcome Trust. Bassajamba are interviewing a range of experts across Manchester / Greater Manchester communities to find out how local groups need more support in evidencing the many and sometimes unexpected ways they have found to enhance physical and mental wellbeing. Music Action International are piloting a short project to find out how their musical approach can help improve the resilience, recovery or happiness of refugees and asylum seekers in the area. Researchers at The University of Manchester are keen to find out how they can work more closely with local communities. Together the partners and their people will try to find ways to formalise and give more weight to what communities have seen work in practice. As Evaluation Consultant, I'll be focussing on wellbeing created in the music project - how much does it help? How does it happen? What gets in the way of it reaching full potential? I'll also be analysing the wider interviews to identify any significant consistencies across them; and / or any key differences that the specifics of any group need to be taken into accommodation. All as a way to help answer the action research question: How can diverse, often marginalised communities, do more to help the health sector support them with their recovery, resilience and happiness needs?
Impact Consultant: Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University's Writing School are working towards the 2021 Research Excellence Framework - the higher education's sector standard for assessing the quality of research. A crucial aspect of this is to demonstrate the impact of their research work outside of the university. I'm working with the team and their impact manager to identify and find evidence of the significance of their activities for a wider audience. I'll be tracking down statistics about the reach of their work since 2013, and uncovering feedback from many different kinds of people about how the writing has affected them.
South Square Centre Evaluation Consultant
South Square Centre is a collection of 19th century workers cottages in Thornton on the edges of Bradford and the West Yorkshire moors. One of the few surviving examples of this design of housing, it was saved from demolition in the early 1980s, and taken over by the community as an arts centre. Today it still celebrates the combination of art, community and history. I am currently working with the team to advise them on the development of an evaluation framework for a new heritage programme as part of their Stage 2 delivery application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The plan will combine independent guidance and analysis with in house data collection and artist led creative consultation.
Association of Independent Museums Organisational Change Enabler & Heritage Lottery Fund Resilient Heritage Mentor
As an AIM trained Museums Enabler, and Heritage Lottery Fund appointed mentor / consultant for resilient heritage development and for engagement; I help heritage organisations look at their organisation and how to take it forward into a new political, economic and public landscape. This happens by challenging, advising, facilitating and supporting senior leadership and governance groups in thinking differently and improving their vision, structures and approaches to be more ready for a new climate. This might mean for example, reshaping governance structures or procedures; recruiting and managing specialist consultants or other providers; exploring new income generation potential; changing business models; and being up to date with legislative requirements. This builds on previous work as a social impact evaluator, coach, mentor, critical friend, charity trustee, fundraiser, Arts Council Resilient Museum Consultant; as well as 20+ years working in heritage and other sectors using mixed-economy models.