Celebrating our Participatory Research Network Members for KE and Impact

On Tuesday 1st July, The University of Sheffield held their Knowledge Exchange (KE) and Impact Award Ceremony. 

These awards are designed to acknowledge and celebrate individuals and groups across the university who do collaborative work with non-academic partners to deliver social change. 

The Participatory Research Network was delighted to have such wonderful representation at the KE and Impact Awards 2025. Knowledge Exchange and Impact are core to what we do. We’d like to celebrate some of our successes (both shortlistings and awards) and their important participatory work that’s achieved some wonderful things: 

Category: Outstanding partnership or impact in creativity/culture/society

Winner

Kirsty Liddiard and Ryan Bramley: Animating Inclusion 

This project worked with Sheffield-based company Paper to explore caption quality and accessibility, resulting in: two short films, ‘Animating Inclusion’ (screened at the 2023 Festival of Social Science) and ‘Rethinking Subtitles for Deaf Audiences’; evidence submission to the British Film and High-End Television Inquiry; and collaboration with Paramount Pictures to explore implementation of the project’s ‘Six Recommendations for Change’ into future UK releases.

Project team: Dr Kirsty Liddiard, Dr Ryan Bramley, Beth Evans (SUBTXT Creative), Jon Rhodes (Paper Ltd.), Josh Slack (Inertia Creative), Ed Cartledge (Sort Of...Films), James Merry (Creative Consultant), Dr Celia Hulme (University of Manchester), Dr Tyron Woolfe (British Deaf Association), Hamza Shaikh (ABC Language Support & Translation Services), Kat Pearson (Pearson Interpreting) and Tom Pearson (Pearson Interpreting) 

Shortlisted

Esbjörn Wettermark: Folk Arts, Policy and the Convention 

Dr Wettermark facilitated knowledge exchange around cultural policy contexts, bringing together folk arts organisations from the UK and Isle of Man for a workshop, resulting in a 3-part podcast (‘Folk Arts, Policy and The Convention) highlighting shared challenges, policy blindspots, and regional distinctions. The podcast was accompanied by infographics and show notes, and translated into several indigenous languages to support regional language policy. The project culminated in the establishment of Folk Policy, a network connecting national and regional folk arts organisations across the Isles.

Project team: Dr Esbjörn Wettermark, Prof. Fay Hield, Dr Helen Grindley, Steve Byrne- Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland (TRACS), Danny KilBride - Trac Cymru, Dr Breesha Maddrell, Culture Vannin, Ciarán Ó Maoláin - Armagh Pipers Club, Katy Spicer- English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), Daniel Woodfield - Lowender

Category: Outstanding partnership or impact in sustainability and the environment

ECR Winner

Pamela Richardson: Make it Grow 

Affiliated to the Institute for Sustainable Food and the Institute for Global Sustainable Development, the Make it Grow project engaged with stakeholders across Zimbabwe to support marginalised community groups to develop and fundraise for their own ideas to address food insecurity, through the creation of Participatory Video Proposals.This has resulted in over 25 communities sharing their stories and implementing food projects; improvements to local food security; building organisational capacity of NGOs and community groups; and the development of new transferable skills, particularly with women and youth.

Project team: Admire Gwatidzo, Stephen Diwauripo, Grace Gumba, Mvuselelo Huni, Rudo Chakanyuka and Alexandra Plummer.

Congratulations to all!

To find out more about what we do at PRN, please visit our website: https://sheffield.ac.uk/ihuman/our-work/marginalised-humans/prn 

Or email us at prn@sheffield.ac.uk