School of Health & Wellbeing

Explorathon 

Here I am - Project Ability  

To celebrate Scottish Learning Disability Week, Byres Community Hub hosted Here I Am, an exhibition of portraits painted by four Project Ability artists: John McNaught, Cameron Morgan, Ryan Jago and Jonathan McKinstry. These colourful images exploring identity, creativity and the everyday joys that make each of us part of our place were on display in the Hub windows throughout the month. 

To coincide with Explorathon and Glasgow Doors Open Day on Saturday 20th September, visitors to the Hub were able to tour the building, spend time exploring the Here I Am, Drumming Up Change and Glasgow’s Health exhibitions, chat with the team and sit for a portrait by Project Ability artists. 

This was a great opportunity to spotlight the work of the organisation and the artists themselves, which also drew in members of the public visiting the Clarice Pears building for the first time.  

Neighbourhood Networks: Mapping & Designing 20-Minute Neighbourhoods 

Researchers and postgraduates from the School of Health and Wellbeing invited children and adults to dream up more equitable neighbourhoods at the Explorathon. Kids got creative in an interactive Lego activity, designing the “best” neighbourhoods in just five minutes with all the amenities they could imagine. Meanwhile, parents mapped their own local areas, reflecting on what works - and what doesn’t - in terms of accessible services. This activity was part of the Orienting Policy Towards Inequality Minimising Action aka OPTIMA research group, which investigates how local living and amenity access may be linked to inequalities 

Participants shared intriguing insights: a retired couple spotted a shortage of amenities suitable for teens and opportunities for intergenerational socialisation; some city residents admitted they rely on cars because public transport doesn’t support easy trip chaining; and others reflected on the tricky trade-offs of moving to areas with good schools but poor local amenities, like infrequent buses. The activity sparked fun and thoughtful conversations about what makes neighbourhoods truly accessible, inclusive, and supportive for all ages. 

Healing Histories: Celebrating Africa’s Unsung Heroes in Medicine and Health Sciences

Alongside other decoloniality projects from universities across Scotland, our Decolonising the Curriculum project was part of the Healing Histories exhibition, a decoloniality project supported by the Africa Working Group of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The exhibition offered a unique opportunity for the general public to engage directly with ideas of decoloniality, sparking conversations about whose knowledge is valued and how this shapes higher education, research, and practice.

This exhibition can be viewed in Byres Community Hub until the end of October as part of Black History Month.

Can you break into General Practice? 

Many visitors to Explorathon took on the challenge of helping their character – Ali – overcome barriers to attending their General Practice appointment. Those attempting the challenge watched a video to learn more about Ali and then completed a series of puzzles and tasks to find a code to unlock the keys to the GP practice. Researchers from General Practice & Primary Care were on hand to help and had interesting conversations with participants about our research on ‘missingness’ in health care – when people miss multiple health care appointments. Participants shared their own experiences and insights into factors that make it more difficult or easy to attend medical appointments. 

Byres Road Book Festival  

Writing Wrongs was delighted to host a very successful, all-day event at The Byres Road Book Festival 2025. 

The packed event took place at the Byres Community Hub and featured hands-on workshops, a presentation by Emma McKee of the Playwrights' Studio, and open mic sessions for writers to share their work. 

The event offered participants the opportunity to learn more about pathways to publishing, explore writing memoirs, short stories, and flash fiction, how and where to learn more about their craft, and provided a chance to connect with fellow writers in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere. 

Special thanks to Deborah Murray, Eleanor Plackett and Mac Spencer of Visit West End who organised the Festival and included this event. Thanks also to Emma McKee from The Playwrights’ Studio for enlightening attendees on the support they provide for those interested in writing for the stage, and to event photographers Samuel J Mitchell and Robert Perry. 

“Thank you so much for organising such an enjoyable event. It was great to take part and to meet other writers.” S.N. 

 “It was such a wonderful day, so rich and inspiring and more than I imagined it would be. Thank you so much for making this happen and for opening out your fabulous group to the wider community. I left with so many ideas and much motivation to continue my journey into writing.” S.C. 

 “I just wanted to thank all the folk who put together this event and say how well organised it was. I enjoyed it thoroughly and 'as a local' being introduced to the new Byres Road Community Hub was a bit of a revelation. And thank you especially to my two workshop people, Michael Goodman and Lorraine Queen for their interesting seminars and handouts.” C.B. 

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First published: 14 October 2025