In this episode of the Fuse ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, host and Fuse public partner, Cheryl Blake, speaks with Dr Sarah Martin-Denham (University of Sunderland) and Hayley Hudson (parent and advocate) about the impact of school exclusion, especially on children and young people themselves.

Data shows that on average, 2,999 children were suspended or permanently excluded from school each school day in England in the 2021/22 academic year. But what does this number really mean? Sarah and Hayley recommend that creative methods can play a crucial role in helping us to visualise and better understand what this number represents for many families across England.

They talk about working with a team of parents to crochet 2,999 unique squares to represent each excluded child and provide a voice to an under-served section of society, resulting in a giant, colourful blanket. The blanket is touring national organisations, local authorities, schools and community groups in England to encourage conversations about the extent and impact of school exclusion and what can be done to reduce preventable exclusions. Sarah and Hayley talk about their personal experiences, key findings from the research and suggest areas for improvement and change.

Sarah and Hayley also answer the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.

Sarah Martin Denham

Sarah is an Associate Professor of Care and Education at the University of Sunderland and uses the creative arts to hear the experiences of children and families, particularly related to school exclusion.

Hayley Hudson

Hayley is a parent, research project partner and advocate for children and families.

About our host

Cheryl Blake is an expert by experience who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation.

Resources and further information

⁠Fuse⁠

⁠NIHR School for Public Health Research⁠

Excluded children at the heart of giant patchwork blanket

BBC news item – Blanket highlighting school exclusion unveiled

Follow us on Bluesky: @fuseonline.bsky.social

Follow us on X: @fuse_online

Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

They tell us about working with people living with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) to create a nutritious ready meal. They discuss the fantastic feedback they received from participants who said the group sessions had inspired them to cook more at home, make dietary changes, and try new food.

The researchers explore how learning from the project and engaging with community could be used in the future as a way of helping people with SMI to improve nutritional intake, as well as increase skills and knowledge around food and cooking.

Claire describes the shame that people sometimes feel when visiting a foodbank or getting food donations, and how toxic shame is in stopping people from asking for the help or support that they might need.

Listen to the full episode now to find out more.

About our guests

Ashley Blacklock is passionate about public health and the impact of food on both body and mind. Ashley nurtured this passion into a career, leading her to become a clinical dietitian. During her academic journey, she had the opportunity to do a placement with a research team at Teesside University. Here, she worked on a project focused on school food contracts and strategies that could support schools create healthier contracts and impact positively on the school food environment. In 2023, Ashley became a Research Associate at Teesside University. She is currently involved in a project focused on improving the nutritional quality of diets of people living with Severe Mental Illness.

Claire Atkins is the Peer Lead for Research and the Senior Peer Worker for Durham and Darlington. Claire has worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust for almost 3 years. Since working for the Trust, she has followed her passion for all things Peer Support. Having her own lived experience of Mental Health gives her a very personal perspective of Mental Health Services and the impact that serious mental illness can have on an individual and their lives. Over the last year, Claire has worked closely with the research team for the Food Insecurity and SMI project, sparking a new passion for research and understanding of the impact of SMI in people’s daily lives.

About our host

⁠Cheryl Blake⁠ is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Cheryl is an expert by experience who has also worked with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Northumbria University. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation.

Resources and further information

o Jenny’s Pasta aims to tackle food insecurity⁠

o Research into food insecurity and severe mental illness⁠

o Supporting people with Severe Mental Illness who face food insecurity to access a nourishing meal⁠

o ⁠What came first, food insecurity or severe mental illness?⁠

o ⁠Food insecurity in adults living with Severe Mental

o ⁠Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness: A systematic review with meta-analysis⁠

o Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness living in Northern England: A co-produced cross-sectional

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on X: @fuse_online

Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

To coincide with Pride Month in the UK, this episode of “Public Health Research and Me” sees host and public partner Kamil Sterniczuk interview Fuse researcher Liam Spencer about his work on the topic of mental health of LGBTQ+ young people.

Liam describes his journey from youth worker to public health researcher as ‘a happy accident’ and discusses the challenges and findings of his work, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He emphasises the need for inclusive school policies and staff training to support LGBTQ+ students, as well as the importance of capturing the voices of people with lived experience to refine academic knowledge.

Liam answers the big question: “If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?” Listen to the full episode now to find out more.

LGBTQ+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning. The "+" sign recognises the limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of the community.

More about our guest

Liam Spencer is a Fuse Associate and Research Assistant based at Newcastle University, and a Mental Health Research Fellow for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC). Liam's work focuses on building capacity for children and young people’s mental health research in the region, through collaboration with practice partners and academic colleagues. He is currently undertaking a PhD by published works. Striving to establish himself as a trailblazer in this field of research, Liam plans to lead school-based work in the region, with a focus on developing inclusive school environments for marginalised youth.

About our host

Kamil is a Fuse public partner and is this episode's host. Kamil is originally from Poland and moved to England for work. He is a part-time student of software engineering and a self-employed Polish interpreter. Since 2018, he has been a lay contributor to medical research due to his lived experience of chronic conditions.

Resources and information

Fuse website

Liam's Fuse blog

NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) public mental health programme

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria

Paper: Reducing LGBTQ+ adolescent mental health inequalities: a realist review of school-based interventions

Paper: Understanding How School-Based Interventions Can Tackle LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Inequality: A Realist Approach

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on X: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: ⁠[email protected] ⁠

For a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

In a special episode of the Fuse podcast, host and public partner Victoria Bartle speaks with former Fuse Director Ashley Adamson, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Newcastle University.

Recently stepping down as Fuse Director after 10 years, Ashley tells us about her proudest achievements as well as what she wished she could have done in her time as Fuse Centre lead.

Ashley tells us about her background in nutrition and dietetics, about moving into Public Health after frustrations in spending time ‘mopping up the floor’ when ‘no one’s turning off the tap’, and 30 years at Newcastle University.

She shares her pride in working with the Hairy Bikers to write a healthy diet recipe book that knocked ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ off the top of the book charts, and pays tribute to Dave Myers who passed away earlier this year.

Victoria and Ashley discuss how Public Involvement and Engagement helps research and researchers to relate to people’s lives, make a difference, and keep feet on the ground. And of course the role of serendipity in research making an impact.

Finally, Ashley passes on some words of wisdom to new Fuse Director Professor Sheena Ramsay, and answers the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.

More about the guest

After graduation in 1987, Ashley worked as a dietitian in the NHS before moving to Newcastle University as a Research Associate to work on the Northumberland cross-sectional cohort studies. She was awarded her PhD (a study of the changes in the diets of adolescents 1980-1990) from Faculty of Medicine Newcastle University in 1993. In 1992, Ashley moved back into clinical practice and worked in a number of community dietetic posts and in primary care in London. She returned to Newcastle University in 1995 to take up a post as Lecturer in the newly created Human Nutrition Research Centre to develop a research programme in Public Health Nutrition.

She was awarded a personal chair in 2010, Fellowship of Faculty of Public Health in 2011, and a NIHR Research Professorship in 2012. She was appointed NIHR Senior Investigator in 2017. She was appointed Director of Fuse in 2014 and National Director of NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) in 2017.

Professor Adamson is now the Director of the NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health.

About the host

Victoria Bartle is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research & Me' podcast. Victoria has been involved with research from a patient and public perspective since she had to stop working in 2016 due to multiple long-term health conditions. Victoria is passionate about health and social care research, and feels that the input from every public partner makes research more focused and beneficial to all.

Resources and further information

Fuse welcomes new director     

NIHR School for Public Health Research

Working with the Hairy Bikers  

NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on X: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: ⁠[email protected]⁠

For a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

We hear a lot about the harms associated with children drinking energy drinks. But what exactly are energy drinks and how do they differ to sports drinks and soft drinks? And what does the evidence tell us about their effect on young people?

In this fifth episode of the Fuse podcast Public Health Research and Me, host and Fuse Public Partner Cheryl Blake speaks with Fuse researchers Professor Amelia Lake and Dr Shelina Visram to cut through the confusion and ask some of the questions you really want to know.

Amelia and Shelina’s latest research, published in the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) journal ‘Public Health’, shows a wider range of risks associated with energy drinks in children than ever before, including an increased risk of mental health issues.

They tell us how the work began with a chance conversation with a drug and alcohol outreach worker, who kept being asked by teachers what the evidence was on energy drinks. This episode explores how rare it is to find research that speaks directly with youngsters about energy drinks, the perils of involving children (especially when shops are offering free samples!), and co-producing resources with parents and young people, which have been used around the world.

Find out how energy drinks are marketed at children and young people through all things ‘cool’ and how Amelia and Shelina tread the fine line between researcher and advocate. Do they think there is enough evidence to say that children shouldn’t have access to energy drinks? There’s a clue on every can if you look very closely…!

About this episode's host and guests

Cheryl Blake is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Cheryl is an expert by experience who has also worked with the NIHR and Northumbria University. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation.

Amelia A Lake is a dietitian and public health nutritionist. She works as a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Teesside University and is an Associate Director of Fuse, The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health. Her current work is broadly around food systems and the food environment. In particular, food insecurity, healthy planning, energy drinks, the workplace environment and knowledge exchange. Her research involves transdisciplinary collaborations to examine how the environment interacts with individual behaviours.

Shelina Visram is a senior lecturer in public health with the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University. She co-leads the Fuse health inequalities research cluster. Her research involves working with people from vulnerable, marginalised and under-represented populations to understand their health needs and experiences of health inequalities. Shelina’s interest in energy drinks is linked to her interest in translational research that meets the needs of policy, practice and public partners.

Resources and further information

Fuse

News item on the latest research

Research paper in full

Research brief (2-page summary)

Timeline of Fuse energy drink research activity and impact

Original review in 2016

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group (Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe), David Winter/Ben Smith (editing) and Shaun O'Boyle (training). Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

Follow us on X: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: ⁠[email protected]⁠

For a copy of the transcript: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

**Content/trigger warning: mental health; substance use**

Meaningfully embedding people’s experiences within health research is vital. But what does a research project start to look like when people who have lived the experience (or Experts by Experience) shape its direction? And what is the personal impact of this involvement on both the Experts by Experience and the researcher? In this fourth episode, host and Fuse Public Partner Cheryl Blake speaks with Emma Adams, NIHR Mental Health Research Fellow about her research exploring mental health, substance use, and trauma for people experiencing homelessness.

Emma talks with Cheryl about how her research journey began, what keeps her motivated and the key moments early on where she realised ‘going it alone’ simply wouldn’t be an option – that the input from people with lived experience would form a critical and incredibly valuable part of the research. Emma shares some recommendations and advice, drawing on personal experiences and examples from her own research.

Areas for further research are discussed and Emma answers the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.

Emma Adams is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Doctoral Research Fellow, based at Newcastle University. Emma’s research focuses on homelessness, mental health (including public mental health) and substance use. Emma has previously held a Pre-doctoral Fellowship in the NIHR School for Public Health Research through Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health. She was also a Mental Health Research Fellow in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria. Emma won the Fuse Rising Star Award in 2023.

Cheryl Blake is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research & Me' podcast. Cheryl is an expert by experience who has also worked with the NIHR and Northumbria University. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation.

Resources and further information

Fuse

NIHR School for Public Health Research

⁠NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria

Shelter –The housing and homelessness charity

Crisis – Homelessness charity

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group (Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe), David Winter (editing) and Shaun O'Boyle (training). Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on Twitter: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: ⁠[email protected]⁠

For a copy of the transcript: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

**Content/trigger warning: mental health; substance use; domestic violence; abuse**

What exactly is ‘hidden homelessness’? And is sofa surfing always safer than rough sleeping? In this third episode, host and Fuse Public Partner, Victoria Bartle, speaks with Joanne McGrath, NIHR School for Public Health Research doctoral student, about her research into women’s experiences of homelessness and the very real impact this can have on health.

Joanne talks with Victoria about what is meant by ‘multiple exclusion’, illustrating this with experiences and examples from her own research. Joanne suggests some ways we could identify people sooner who are at risk of hidden homelessness, with reference to substance use, domestic violence and trauma. She explores the role that social networks play and, with permission, draws on the experiences of the Experts by Experience who are involved in her research.

Areas for further research are discussed and Joanne answers the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.

Joanne McGrath is in her 3rd year of a PhD in Public Health based at Northumbria University, focused on health inequalities. The project is funded through the NIHR School for Public Health Research and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria (ARC NENC). Joanne previously worked at Crisis UK as a Progression Coach and Strategic Partnerships Officer. She has also worked with funding organisations Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to the USA and Norway to research better ways of identifying people at risk of chronic homelessness and reoffending.

⁠Victoria Bartle⁠ is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research & Me' podcast. Victoria has been involved with research from a patient and public perspective since she had to stop working in 2016 due to multiple long-term health conditions. Victoria is passionate about health and social care research, and feels that the input from every public partner makes research more focused and beneficial to all.

Resources and further information

Fuse

NIHR

⁠NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria

Oasis – Domestic Abuse Charity

Shelter – The housing and homelessness charity

Crisis – Homelessness charity

Joe’s Place⁠

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group (Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe), David Winter (editing) and Shaun O'Boyle (training). Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on Twitter: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: ⁠[email protected]

⁠For a copy of the transcript: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

In this second episode, host and Fuse Public Partner, Victoria Bartle, speaks with Professor Eugene Milne.

Eugene talks with Victoria about how he got started in public health research and how Fuse was developed. He shares his thoughts on the public health strategy for the North East and discusses the importance of collaborative working and public involvement. Victoria quizzes Eugene about future public health initiatives, his proudest moments as Director of Public Health and any key messages he might have for central government.

Eugene answers the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.

Eugene Milne has recently retired as the Director of Public Health at Newcastle City Council and has been awarded an MBE for his leadership of Newcastle’s public health response to Covid-19. Eugene is an Honorary Emeritus Professor of Public Health at Newcastle University and was awarded the FPH Alwyn Smith Prize in 2022 for “outstanding contribution to public health”. He has published work on tobacco control, ageing, health economics and a variety of public health topics.

Victoria Bartle is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research & Me' podcast. Victoria has been involved with research from a patient and public perspective since she had to stop working in 2016 due to multiple long-term health conditions. Victoria is passionate about health and social care research, and feels that the input from every public partner makes research more focused and beneficial to all.

Resources and further information

Fuse

Fresh – making smoking history

Balance – Getting the measure of alcohol

Our Future Health – Let’s prevent disease together

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group (Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe), David Winter (editing) and Shaun O'Boyle (training). Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on Twitter: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: [email protected]

For a copy of the transcript: [email protected]⁠

**Content/trigger warning: mental health; substance use; domestic violence; abuse**

In this first episode, host and Fuse Public Partner, Victoria Bartle, speaks with Cassey Muir, Fuse and NIHR School for Public Health Research doctoral student, about her research.

Cassey talks with Victoria about children and young people’s mental health and resilience in cases of parental substance use. She shares the impacts this can have on young people, including stigma. Cassey outlines some of the key changes she made to her research after hearing from young people with lived experience. She explores the role that the justice system, education system, and society in general have in supporting children and young people with the lived experience of parental substance use.

Areas for further research are discussed and Cassey answers the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out.

Cassey Muir is a doctoral researcher based at Newcastle University. Her research aims to improve both health and social needs of vulnerable children and families. She is interested in co-production and intervention development linked to adverse childhood experiences, mental health, resilience, and stigma. 

Victoria Bartle is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research & Me' podcast. Victoria has been involved with research from a patient and public perspective since she had to stop working in 2016 due to multiple long-term health conditions. Victoria is passionate about health and social care research, and feels that the input from every public partner makes research more focused and beneficial to all.

Resources and further information

Fuse

NIHR School for Public Health Research

Adfam

PROPS Family Recovery Service

With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group (Emma Adams, Keith Aungiers, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe), David Winter (editing) and Shaun O'Boyle (training). Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi.

If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Follow us on Twitter: @fuse_online

Contact for more information: [email protected]

For a copy of the transcript: ⁠[email protected]⁠⁠