Listen to the latest episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast to discover the story of inventor and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. Essex historians are now helping uncover new materials in the Marconi archive and finding new ways to engage the community in their discoveries.

Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex and journalist Martha Dixon speak to historians and archivists about why this project is breaking new ground for archives and setting an example for others to follow.

Contributors:

Richard Anderson - Archive and Collections Lead at Essex Record Office

Martin Astell - Essex Record Office Manager

Lewis Smith - Research student

Alan Pamphilon - Former Marconi engineer and local historian

Listen to the latest episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast to discover the story of the Warner Textile Archive and how Essex historians are helping unlock the potential of the archive for designers and bringing it to life for the public.

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Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex and journalist Martha Dixon speak to historians and archivists plus top designers who love using Warner textiles.

Warner and Sons once provided the luxury fabrics which decorated palaces and featured at royal weddings.

The Warner Textile Archive is now the largest publicly owned collection from a luxury textile manufacturer in the UK. The Archive is housed in the original Warner & Sons mill in Braintree that was refurbished in 2004 to hold the significant collection.

The collection comprises over 100,000 items, including designs on paper, hand woven textiles, printed textiles, business records, photographs and manufacturing equipment. At its height, Warner & Sons were producing fabric for royal weddings and funerals, and decorating palaces. The family business pioneered several textile manufacturing techniques that have never again been replicated.

Contributors: 

Dr Alix Green, from the Department of History at Essex, is overseeing a project to digitise the Warner Textile Archive.

PhD student Samantha Woodward has helped the Warner Textile Archive to develop a framework for further research into core parts of the collection and looked at ways to engage with users in the future.

Robert Rose is Museum Manager of the Warner Textile Archive.

Sophie Jemma is Archivist at the Warner Textile Archive.

Cassie Nicholas is an Interior Designer and Winner of the BBC Interior Design Masters programme who has used Warner Textiles.

Adam Sykes, owner of heritage fabrics specialist Claremont which continues to use Warner Textile designs in its ranges.

The latest episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast looks at the impact of brain injury. How do we find out more about the problems survivors face? What needs to change in the way we support them to live their lives?

In the UK 700,000 people end up at A&E every year with a head injury, according to NHS figures and around a million people are now living with some sort of brain injury.

Survivors include injured sportspeople, or road accident victims. There are also survivors who've been through things like severe infections or strokes.

Novel research at the University of Essex is leading to a big shift in policy to help survivors, while also developing technological solutions to help with everyday tasks.

They will be speaking to:

Dr Andrew Bateman (4:29) from the School of Health and Social Care at Essex is project lead for COURAGE Network which brings together people affected by and living with, neurological conditions, with the research community. The innovative project is initially funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Caroline Bald (8:01), from the School of Health and Social Care at Essex, is looking to improve training in the UK so social workers see that understanding brain injury is an integral part of their work.

Chloe Hayward (11:33), Executive Director of the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum. The Forum aims to promote a better understanding of all aspects of acquired brain injury.

Dr Anirban Chowdhury (15:16), Lecturer in Neural Engineering and Robotics at Essex, is developing a brain-computer interface to control an exoskeleton to support movement, just through the power of thought.

Stella Kerins (18:29), Head of Brain Injury Care Services at Headway Essex. the charity supports people with acquired brain injury and their families so that they feel supported and so that they can live their lives to their optimum.

The latest episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast shines a light on inequality. What happens to people who end up at the wrong end of an unequal society and how do we help them?

Professor Jules Pretty and Martha Dixon will look at research taking the long view and find out how history can help us break cycles of poverty and deprivation. They will also look at simple solutions which seek to narrow the gap.

They will be joined by:

Professor Pam Cox, Head of the Department of Sociology at Essex. She contrasts the experiences of young people now emerging from the criminal justice system with those in similar positions in the past. She also raises questions about social justice and inequality in other areas.

Professor Lucy Noakes, from the Department of History at Essex. She talks about how the Second World War exposed inequalities and contrasts it with attitudes and political solutions emerging in the aftermath of COVID-19. How do we build back better, if we don’t really understand the past?

Dr Alexandra Cox, from the Department of Sociology at Essex, talks about her research on how children are criminalised and how inequality is so ingrained within the youth justice system.  

Tom Brown, from the Green Light Trust in Suffolk, discusses its work with people who are marginalised and the trust's efforts to deal with inequality by providing access to nature and green space.

Stephen Whitehead, from the Centre for Justice Innovation, talks about research on racial inequality with the University of Essex and highlights how young people need to be steered away from the criminal justice system to improve their life chances.

Green exercise and nature therapy have been hitting the news lately. Increasingly you’ll see them referred to in public health policy in the UK.

The healing power of nature isn’t new - the ancient Greeks had over 400 temples for outdoor healing. But, in our increasingly busy, urbanised lives do we really understand the value of nature? How can we show that nature is a good and effective therapy for all sorts of people in all kinds of contexts? Can it and will it replace some uses of pharmaceutical drugs?

In the latest episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast, Jules Pretty and Martha Dixon will explore how University of Essex academics are providing the evidence to help in the better use of what we might call the natural health service. They will also speak to people putting these insights into action and transforming lives.

They will be joined by:

Nick Cooper from the Department of Psychology discussing how research on outdoor activities such as angling has led to a European-wide initiative to support mental health.

Jo Barton from the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at Essex talking about how Government policy on nature therapy can help young people from an early age and prevent problems in the future.

Jo Roberts from the Wilderness Foundation explaining how the charity takes troubled youngsters and takes them out into nature.

Matt King, from independent health and wellbeing charity Trust Links, describing how Trust Links uses gardening and the outdoors to support people in their journey to recovery and wellbeing.

In the third episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast we’re looking at changing attitudes to mental health and how that is having an impact on healthcare, education and support for young people.

Professor Jules Pretty and Martha Dixon investigate how policies are shifting and talk to experts involved in those changes which are influencing how we treat and prevent mental health problems.

Contributors include:

Mental health nursing student Hannah Brock (1:39) is learning about new perspectives on supporting patients.

Professor Wayne Martin (4:30) from the Essex Autonomy Project is helping frontline professionals understand how to ensure they respect the rights of people they are caring for.

Thomas Currid (8:14), senior lecturer in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Essex, is introduing new approaches to teaching students about autonomy and social treatments.

Srivati (10:32) from the Breathing Spaces in Schools project is helping young people understand the value of mindfulness.

Dr Caroline Barratt (12:58) from the School of Health and Social Care at Essex is pioneering a more contemplative approach to teaching and learning.

Professor Chris Nicholson (18:10) from the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex wants care workers to receive better training to cope with the complex situations they face.

The Louder Than Words Podcast is created by the Centre for Public and Policy Engagement at the University of Essex and produced by CommsConsult.

In the third episode of the Louder Than Words Podcast we’re looking at changing attitudes to mental health and how that is having an impact on healthcare, education and support for young people.

Professor Jules Pretty and Martha Dixon investigate how policies are shifting and talk to experts involved in those changes which are influencing how we treat and prevent mental health problems.

Contributors include:

Mental health nursing student Hannah Brock (1:39) is learning about new perspectives on supporting patients.

Professor Wayne Martin (4:30) from the Essex Autonomy Project is helping frontline professionals understand how to ensure they respect the rights of people they are caring for.

Thomas Currid (8:14), senior lecturer in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Essex, is introduing new approaches to teaching students about autonomy and social treatments.

Srivati (10:32) from the Breathing Spaces in Schools project is helping young people understand the value of mindfulness.

Dr Caroline Barratt (12:58) from the School of Health and Social Care at Essex is pioneering a more contemplative approach to teaching and learning.

Professor Chris Nicholson (18:10) from the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex wants care workers to receive better training to cope with the complex situations they face.

The Louder Than Words Podcast is created by the Centre for Public and Policy Engagement at the University of Essex and produced by CommsConsult.

In our second episode Professor Jules Pretty and journalist Martha Dixon, take you on a journey to discover why we need to learn from our past in uncovering the global impact of migration on our people and our land. Our speakers have direct experience of migration and the impact it has had on their lives. We discuss why this is such an important issue and why we need to learn from the past to look forward.

Contributors

Roma Tearne (1:28) arrived on a boat from Sri Lanka more than fifty years ago. Her parents were Tamil and Sinhalese, caught in a conflict between the two ethnic groups. Roma is an award winning artist and novelist.

Susan Oliver (5:08) looks at past migration through literature. This provides valuable insights into trying to understand the current impact of migration and the longer view.

Ahmed Shaheed (10:37) and (16:37) is a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and a migrant from the Maldives forced to leave after a coup. He discusses how conflict creates more displaced people, the effects of climate change that force people to travel and why he still has hope about the future.

Jonathan Lichtensein (12:04) is professor of drama at the University of Essex has recently published a book, The Berlin Shadow, about his father’s experience of escaping the Holocaust.

Shownotes at: www.essex.ac.uk/blog

In our second episode Professor Jules Pretty and journalist Martha Dixon, take you on a journey to discover why we need to learn from our past in uncovering the global impact of migration on our people and our land. Our speakers have direct experience of migration and the impact it has had on their lives. We discuss why this is such an important issue and why we need to learn from the past to look forward.

Contributors

Roma Tearne (1:28) arrived on a boat from Sri Lanka more than fifty years ago. Her parents were Tamil and Sinhalese, caught in a conflict between the two ethnic groups. Roma is an award winning artist and novelist.

Susan Oliver (5:08) looks at past migration through literature. This provides valuable insights into trying to understand the current impact of migration and the longer view.

Ahmed Shaheed (10:37) and (16:37) is a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and a migrant from the Maldives forced to leave after a coup. He discusses how conflict creates more displaced people, the effects of climate change that force people to travel and why he still has hope about the future.

Jonathan Lichtensein (12:04) is professor of drama at the University of Essex has recently published a book, The Berlin Shadow, about his father’s experience of escaping the Holocaust.

Shownotes at: www.essex.ac.uk/blog

The time for action is now. In our very first episode Professor Jules Pretty and journalist Martha Dixon, talk to some of the world’s leading climate experts about their work to fight climate change and to those who use this research to influence policy and engage the public.

Andri Snaer Magnason (1:35) is a writer and poet and climate change is his passion. He uses his writing to get climate change on the agenda and storytelling to make sense out of complex climate data.

Dr Michelle Taylor (6:12) and Professor Graham Underwood (8:33) from the University of Essex discuss how their research contributes to policies that aim to reduce climate change.

At an international policy level Tanya Steele (11:27), CEO of the UK’s World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF), emphasises the importance of science in making decisions and generating new ideas.

Environmentalist and company director Simon Lyster (15:12) brings another dimension – the role that business plays in the drive towards a healthy natural environment.

Finally we talk to young activist Hattie (20:54) who as a WWF Youth Ambassador is passionate about the natural environment and preserving it for future generations.

Full show notes including transcription available at: https://www.essex.ac.uk/blog/posts/2021/04/28/the-louder-than-words-podcast-climate-change 

Feedback welcome at: [email protected]