Search results
-
61.
The Lincolnshire Home Guard brought to life
New exhibition by Dr Erik Grigg, lecturer of History at Bishop Grosseteste University, goes on display at The Museum of Lincolnshire Life -
62.
‘Ideal Candidate’ Academic Appointed as Trustee for Medmenham Collection
Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, Programme Leader for Military History and the MA in Social and Cultural History at Lincoln Bishop University (Lincoln Bishop), has been appointed as a Medmenham Collection Trustee by the Medmenham Association. The Medmenham Association was formed in 1946 from those that worked at RAF Medmenham, the allied photographic intelligence unit, during the Second World War (you can find an overview of activities at RAF Medmenham during the war by clicking here). The Association members formed a museum and archive of photographic intelligence, which was then transferred into a charity, the Medmenham Collection.Women made up half of the workforce at Medmenham, and included Winston Churchill's daughter. Unusual for the time, they were treated as equals, and appointed to roles based on their ability. The majority of trustees for the Medmenham Collection are drawn from serving and retired military intelligence officers. However, the board of trustees felt that the board needed additional expertise outside the military and that an academic with a background in intelligence research would enhance the Board’s expertise. Gp Capt Paul Stewart MBE, PhD, RAF (Retd), speaking on behalf of the collection, explained why they had been keen to appoint Dr Hubbard-Hall to the position: “Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, who has supervised a PhD on RAF Medmenham and has extensive knowledge of Second World War intelligence studies was considered to be an ideal candidate for a trustee position." For Dr Hubbard-Hall, who specialises in Second World War Intelligence History, the appointment is timely to her endeavours to shine a brighter light on the role and contribution of women in intelligence: “As an intelligence historian specialising in the Second World War period, with a particular focus on women, it has been an honour to be asked.” If you’d like to find out more about uncovering new adventures on a History or Military History course at Lincoln Bishop, visit our website, book onto one of our Open Days or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. Image credits: Header image - A photographic Interpreter at Danesfield House studies plans and photographs of a BMW factory with the use of a stereoscope. © Medmenham Collection -
63.
Over £420k invested in local archaeological research
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has received a grant of more than £427,000 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to invest in the university’s archaeology department. The award was confirmed in a ministerial announcement by Science and Technology Secretary Chloe Smith. The grant is awarded to institutions that seek to upgrade facilities and enhance their capacity to contribute to the UK’s creative and cultural research economy. BGU has used the grant to refurbish teaching rooms and the archaeology laboratory on campus. The university’s Old School House will now host the new open access Lincolnshire Culture Heritage Research (LCHR) Hub. The funding has also enabled the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment to enhance the research capabilities of the department, including a 3D laser scanner and a drone fitted with a LIDAR sensor, which can produce high-resolution maps and 3D models of landscapes and historical buildings. Other new equipment such as a magnetometer and a ground penetrating radar allow archaeologists to “see” into the ground and identify what lies beneath without having to excavate. The equipment will be used at the university's upcoming archaeology field school, which will see excavation of the Haw Hill area of Swanpool in Lincoln, where significant archaeological findings are expected. Dr Derwin Gregory, Archaeology Programme Leader at BGU said: "The AHRC grant has allowed us to significantly enhance our facilities and research capabilities, enabling us to provide our students with a first-class learning experience. “The equipment purchased through this funding will also benefit the wider community of archaeology and history groups, who are encouraged to contact the department and arrange use of this sophisticated equipment for their own projects." The AHRC is the UK's largest funder of research and postgraduate training in the arts and humanities. As part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), it provides funding and support to institutions in the UK. The funding programmes are designed to support research across the full range of arts and humanities subjects. UKRI is investing £103 million to expand and upgrade the UK’s world class research infrastructure, including digital infrastructure. The investments will support the sector and ensure UK researchers have access to the best labs and equipment they need to keep producing world-class science. UKRI International Champion, Professor Christopher Smith, said: “The investments, made across the UK, will provide UK researchers with advanced equipment, facilities and technology, and help maintain the UK’s position as a leader in research and innovation. “This support will ensure the UK is an attractive place for scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to live, work and innovate.” A full catalogue of equipment available to use can be found here. Dr Derwin Gregory with the Trimble R12 -
64.
BGU Historian contributes expertise at UK-Ukraine Roundtable
Dr Alan Malpass was recently invited to share his expertise at a UK-Ukraine Roundtable at the Houses of Parliament. -
65.
Bishop Grosseteste University announced as a partner for Imperial War Museums’ £2.5m art commissioning programme Call for Veterans
The project being led by BGU invites serving and former members of the British Armed Forces who were deployed to Afghanistan to group art therapy workshops. In these sessions, veterans will explore what ‘home’ meant to them whilst serving in operating bases in Afghanistan and what it means to them now. A professional artist will be commissioned to work alongside the project team to create artwork that draws inspiration from the veterans’ experiences. Combined with the veterans’ art, the commissioned artwork will form part of a major new contemporary art exhibition that will explore the personal stories of the conflict in Afghanistan. As part of our wider research project, the team would also like to speak to any serving or former members of the British Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan and are interested in sharing their experiences of operating bases. Photographs and testimonies will be of particular interest. If you are interested in taking part in the project, please contact Dr Derwin Gregory at derwin.gregory@lincolnbishop.ac.uk. Building on over 100 years of contemporary art commissioning by IWM, this new initiative continues the vision and reach of 14-18 NOW, the official UK arts programme for the First World War centenary, and has been made possible thanks to the success of Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed film They Shall Not Grow Old, co-commissioned by IWM and 14-18 NOW. A share of the film’s royalties – £2.5 million – will see investment in artists and arts experiences as IWM partners with 20 cultural organisations and 22 artists from across the UK. The fully funded commissions will each be inspired by the heritage of conflict. Dr Derwin Gregory, Programme Leader for Archaeology and Heritage of BGU, says: “I am excited to be working with serving and former members of the British Armed Forces, in partnership with IWM, to create a major contemporary art exhibition that will allow veterans the opportunity to share their stories of life within operating bases in Afghanistan”. Diane Lees, Director-General of IWM, says: “IWM is delighted to be working in close partnership with such a breadth of UK organisations on this ambitious programme of art commissioning. After a challenging couple of years for the arts sector, we hope that the unprecedented opportunities enabled by the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund will kick-start cultural dialogue as we recover from the wide-reaching impacts of COVID-19”. The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commissions will go on public display across the UK between 2022 and 2024. For further information about the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, please visit the IWM website. -
66.
Archaeological dig at The Lawn to start next week
A four-week excavation led by Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) begins Monday 20 June. -
67.
Writing the Air War and Lincolnshire Conference
11th & 12th May 2024 -
68.
Not A Luxury: How BGSU is tackling period poverty
In December 2022, I created the ‘Not a Luxury’ campaign following a difficult interaction with a student who had found herself in a desperate situation. Despite its negative origins, my hope is that the campaign will have a positive impact for everyone at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). I was working in my office when a group of students knocked on my door. I answered the door to be met by two young female students, one of whom was visibly upset and being encouraged to speak by her friend. When she gathered the breath to speak, she asked me if I had a tampon. Thankfully, I did. This brief interaction left me thinking of a few things: why do students feel like they can’t ask for what I would consider to be a totally normal request? And why are these products not readily available to those who need them? After some research I found that in 2022, nearly one in eight women in the UK struggled to buy menstrual products for themselves and/or a dependant. This began a personal mission for me to not only provide free period products for staff and students, but also to raise awareness for the issue of period poverty and destigmatise the use of these products. This is because nearly half (46%) of women who struggled to afford sanitary products in the last six months kept sanitary pads or tampons in for longer or used tissues (46%). 10% doubled up their underwear. The ‘Not a Luxury’ scheme aims to provide free period products to all staff and students via bathroom stalls, by placing a small bag of products in a sign-posted stall in a publicly accessed toilet. It also aims to de-stigmatise the use and discussion of these products through raising awareness and encouraging open discussion. This scheme been designed to grow and evolve to respond to the needs of the BGU community. Starting with the product distribution on campus and with the next aim to increase the number of sanitary bins in the toilets on campus. I am very proud to say that this scheme is not alone. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with student leaders from all around the UK at the NUS National Conference. It was at this conference where I was asked to speak about the ‘Not a Luxury’ campaign. This was received very well and presented an opportunity for other student leaders to discuss their own, similar schemes with some even going as far as to refer to BGSU as a ‘trailblazer in inclusivity’. Attending the NUS conference To succeed, this campaign needs continued support from both staff and students. The main motivation of the campaign is to provide products to those who might not otherwise be able to access them or purchase them. It’s just one way that BGSU is trying to help people who need it, with zero-judgement. The ‘Not a Luxury’ campaign has been fostering understanding, providing much-needed products to those who need them, and shining a light on gender non-exclusive use of period products. To show your support or for more information email connor.short@lincolnbishop.ac.uk or come to the student’s union building and ask for Connor. Period products are a right, not a luxury. -
69.
Unique art exhibition comes to BGU
If you visit the Robert Hardy Building on campus, you will discover a selection of artworks each created by prisoners at HMP Morton Hall as part of their 12-week art programme. Last week the exhibition launched and had an auction for specific pieces during opening night. The University collaborated with PeoplePlus UK to make this happen and from a social purpose and perspective, working closely with HMP Morton Hall helps support individuals to realise their ambitions and create positive change in their communities and beyond. While open to all, the art studio supports prisoners with mental health issues and those struggling to participate in the prison’s mainstream education and training programmes. As part of rehabilitation, offenders undertake art sessions providing space to be creative and work with others in a safe environment. This exhibition provided the opportunity to showcase their innovative creations and reinforces the message that something positive can come out of prison life. "When I draw or paint, it takes away the negative thoughts. I feel like I’ve found a new talent within myself that’s helping me grow out of my issues and keeps me away from insecurities I had before the course." Allison Webb, Director of Business & Community Engagement, said "it is a special exhibition that gives the prisoners a voice" and Gillian Johnston (Programme Lead for Sociology and Criminology) stated at the opening night: "Criminology is a new and exciting discipline for us at BGU, so when this initiative was first mooted a few months ago I jumped at the chance for us, as an institution and at a programme level, to be involved. It cannot be underestimated just how important these initiatives are in fostering relationships between organisations. Being able to collaborate with HMP Morton Hall on this important project is a delight for me and I hope this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between us." Samantha Boothman the Head of Education, Skills and Work at HMP Morton Hall said "we are delighted to be working with BGU on this unique event and very much looking forward to further collaboration." Overall the auction raised £560 and these funds will go to Victim Support, Ambers Army (The PeoplePlus recognised charity for 2024), the prisoner who created the artwork, and for a new art studio kiln. The majority of the remaining artwork is for sale and the viewing public can buy item(s) through the silent auction process. Information on how to do this can be found in the foyer of the Robert Hardy Building. "The art course is purposefully unaccredited; this enables men to learn not just about art and new techniques, but also to develop wider skills without being pressured to pass an exam. Everyone is able to work at their own pace and is guided to follow their own creative pathway. The art room is a space where the men can spend time out of their cell and share thoughts, worries and ideas whilst also developing their creativity. For many it is the first time they have experienced a classroom and using a pencil or paint brush. They are encouraged to help each other to be their best selves. I witness time and again how creativity and kindness to one another can totally change people for the better and improve their mental wellbeing." Karen Sharples – Art Lecturer at HMP Morton Hall. PeoplePlus UK deliver the educational provision at the prison and you can watch their short video Bringing the Inside, Out which explains their purpose further. The exhibition runs from the 30th of May until 13th of June 2024 in the Robert Hardy Building, BGU. -
70.
BGU historian rediscovers long-lost Lincolnshire author
Bishop Grosseteste University's (BGU) Professor Andrew Jackson (Executive Dean: Research & Knowledge Exchange) has just published a book on Bernard Samuel Gilbert, who was an outstanding author whose name is all but forgotten today. The book arises from a rediscovery of Gilbert’s work and the volume is an important new study that seeks to re-establish the writer’s reputation. Gilbert was born in Billinghay in Lincolnshire in 1882 and was returned there for burial following his death in 1927. He wrote prolifically from around the age of thirty up to his death at forty-five. Gilbert’s literature spans poetry, novels, plays, tracts on agriculture, political pamphlets, and newspaper columns. He wrote of contemporary Lincolnshire and rural England, life and work on the land, and country customs and beliefs. Gilbert's First World War Home Front poetry in dialect and his fenland fiction and verse are extraordinary. Furthermore, his emerging multi-volume scheme – his ‘Old England’, a ‘Gilbert Country’ even – is quite remarkable. The book has been published by the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, History of Lincolnshire Committee, and is available through the SLHA Bookshop, Jews Court, 2/3 Steep Hill, Lincoln. For further information, please contact booksales@slha.org.uk, or go to www.slha.org.uk.
Explore Lincoln Bishop
Browse our wide range of degree courses and find the perfect one for you.
Open days are the best way to find out what Lincoln Bishop has to offer.
Download your copy of our prospectus to find out more about life at Lincoln Bishop.