Collaboration in Clarice Pears

Susan Grant, School of Health and Wellbeing Community Engagement Coordinator updates us on the users of Clarice Pears and the exhibitions in Byres Community Hub in her latest community engagement update.

An image of people viewing the Byres Community Hub Photovoice at the launch

Community Groups using Clarice Pears meeting rooms:

Since opening to the public in March 2023, we have had a total of 73 meetings for 33 different groups booked via Byres Hub. These have included The Beatson Cancer Charity, University of the Third Age (U3A), Weekday WOW Factor, Volunteer Tutors Association, and The Scribble Writing Group. Kay from Kibble Scribbler Writing Group said,

We love the building and the thoughtfully designed, light filled rooms, and have found everyone so welcoming and helpful. It is very exciting to be part of the new university campus in this environmentally friendly building whose ethos is to be inclusive and open to the community. As a School of Health and it is the perfect place for the needs of our group and we hope that we can continue to meet here.

An image of participants at the SPSHU Shine Conference in 2023

There have been many more organisations coming into our spaces as part of these external meetings, larger internal and externally organised events, and research engagement.

How to book Clarice Pears meeting rooms?

UofG staff can book local meeting space on level one for research/community engagement via UofG Estates Timetabling.
UofG staff looking to book larger events can send a non-teaching booking form via the UofG helpdesk. Our seminar spaces can accommodate 40 in 102, 50 in 103A, 60 in 103B, and 110 across 103A & B with the partition removed. However, all of these larger spaces are prioritised for teaching in the first instance.
UofG staff or external not-for-profit organisations can enquire about our informal open space in Byres Community Hub, which can hold around 40 people, by emailing byreshub@glasgow.ac.uk
External not-for-profit organisations or research partners can book one of the ten meeting rooms in Clarice Pears (128 A & B, 129, 130, 146, 155, 163, 165, 166, 169, 171), which can accommodate between 8 and 30 participants, by emailing byreshub@glasgow.ac.uk.
Catering can be booked directly by emailing arc-catering-enquiries@glasgow.ac.uk.

Collaborating exhibitions in Byres Community Hub

In addition to the meeting spaces, this summer we have also welcomed the 16 community organisations who have partnered with us in our opening temporary exhibitions and invited guests into Byres Community Hub. These exhibition launch events have given us the opportunity to celebrate the outcomes of the projects and bring different groups together to network and explore further links with one another and The School of Health and Wellbeing. Through out the consultation to develop Byres Community Hub, it was always envisaged that this would be a space for collaboration and creativity and we hope that staff, students, and visitors to Clarice Pears feel the opening exhibitions are fulfilling this vision:

‘Creative Health and Wellbeing in our Communities’ exhibition in collaboration with North West Glasgow Voluntary Sector Network and 11 member organisations.

An image of people viewing the Byres Community Hub Tower Exhibition at the launch

Engaging in outreach with community partners can extend beyond the activity in Byres Hub, for example the Chance2Change (C2C) group have been working with Sara Macdonald on a project looking at prevention and Multiple Long Terms Conditions (featured in the image below). I will go into more detail on Patient Public Involvement (PPIE) in Research in a future Hawkeye.

An image of Susan Grant with the Chance2Change group in front of the tower exhibit

The Public’s Public Health Exhibition

‘The Public’s Public Health’ was a community engagement project supported by Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Fund using ‘photovoice’, a process to share thoughts, ideas or stories in a visual way for positive social impact to explore the question 'What does public health mean to you?'. Images are now all displayed in Byres Community Hub. Participants from Govan Community Project Men’s Group, Active Life Club Woman’s Group, Outdoors for You, and The Milton Rattlers were pleased to receive certificates of recognition, see their images displayed including a longer digital exhibition we compiled for the event, and view the images from the other groups. One of the group leaders said,

The group really enjoyed being a part of this project. This was a new experience for them, and they enjoyed putting forward their ideas. It was lovely working in collaboration with you.

An image of Susan Grant speaking at the Byres Community Hub Photovoice Launch

An image of people viewing the Byres Community Hub Photovoice at the launch

This exhibition brings different perspectives on public health into our 100 years of public health opening exhibition which also includes:

Doughnut Doodle Wall

Boomerang Woodworking are a Community Interest Company who I met at The Maryhill Together network and through my involvement in the community-led small grants project. You can learn more about their work and that of some of the other small grants partners in this film Supporting Communities: A Glasgow Open Lab - YouTube Boomerang were donated left over oak panelling from the Clarice Pears interior by University Estates and they used it to create our beautiful ‘doodle’ wall installation for the Byres Community Hub. The remainder of the donated wood was used by Boomerang to create other bespoke products and items for sale and the profit will go towards free therapeutic, creative and skills development workshops for the community in Maryhill and surrounding areas. The wall allows people visiting Byres Hub to write, doodle or draw an answer to the current question posed so the display is ever changing. If you would like to utilise the wall at a forthcoming event in Clarice Pears or have a question you would like to pose, please email byreshub@glasgow.ac.uk

Byres Community Hub Doodle Wall 700

100 Years of Public Health in Scotland Comic

Our School’s public engagement and knowledge exchange workstream codesigned a visual story of 100 years of public health in Scotland told through one fictional family with the amazing Dekko Comics. We have a huge version on the walls of Byres Community Hub.

100 years of Public Health in Scotland Comic

One hundred years of public health at The University of Glasgow

To coincide with the Clarice Pear’s official opening in September 2023, Professor of Public Health, Beverly Bergman has compiled a ‘A Celebration of One Hundred Years of Public Health at The University of Glasgow. You can pick up a hard copy of this booklet in Byres Community Hub or view a digital version at the following link: 100 Years of Public Health Booklet (gla.ac.uk)

100 years of public health booklet front page image

In this booklet, we learn that Sir Henry Mechan in a letter to the Principal of the University, Sir Donald MacAlister, endowing the Chair of Public Health in 1922 wrote

It is my sincere hope, as it is my belief, that the advancement and diffusion of knowledge in all matters pertaining to the public health will be of practical and permanent benefit to the community.

It therefore seems fitting that our celebrations of the centenary are in collaboration with community with the opening exhibitions but also as part of the Glasgow Doors Open Day programme.

Doors Open Day

Saturday 16^th September – Clarice Pears will be open from 10am – 5pm as a drop in event with hourly tours of the building, exhibitions and pop up activities and there will be three bookable Public Health Trails at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Event listings can be found on the Doors Open Day website and bookings open early September www.glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk

A poster for the Doors Open Day 2023

Explorathon 2023

Our Clarice Pears DOD event is part of Explorathon 2023. School of Health and Wellbeing researchers will be taking part in the wider programme. You will find all the events happening in the Advanced Research Centre (ARC) for the Doors Open Day (11th-17th September) and UofG Explorathon public engagement (16^th and 17^th September) here: University of Glasgow - Research - Advanced Research Centre - What's on

A poster for the exploration events

SW&CO Design visit Clarice Pears

I was delighted to give Shona and Scott Watson from SW&CO a tour of Clarice Pears this month. We were joined by Kathleen Clarke of MVLS Design. Shona said

It was important for us from the beginning for the design to reflect the work of the School of Health and Wellbeing and the aims of the building. The idea that ‘everything is connected’ really stood out and the design evolved from this. We wanted it to be timeless and multifunctional but it has been unbelievable to be shown around the Clarice Pears building today and see just how versatile it has been from the exterior through to the interior design throughout the building and as part of the branding and identify for Byres Community Hub too. We are planning to bring our family to Doors Open Day next month to show them this wonderful space.

A photo of Shona and Scott Watson standing next to a Byres Hub exhibit