In this blog series, we will be featuring our award winners and highly commended recipients from the Faculty’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to PPIE’ awards. The awards showcase inspirational and outstanding commitment to PPIE that has made a positive difference to our community and highlights the amazing events, activities, people and groups from across the Faculty.   

Our latest blog in this series features Manchester Memories: The COVID-19 Era, a creative project that captured the lived experiences of diverse communities in Greater Manchester during the pandemic. This initiative was highly commended in the Public Engagement Category at the 2025 PPIE Awards. 

The Covid-19 pandemic was a challenging time for all, but research later revealed stark inequalities in healthcare access and vaccination programmes among certain groups. To honour these experiences, Stephanie Gillibrand, a researcher at the University, led a team of over 20 contributors from various social backgrounds, life stages and local communities to co-create the Manchester Memories: The COVID-19 Era zine.  

Manchester Memories zine book launch event during the University of Manchester’s Bicentenary Festival.

Building on findings from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC GM), the project aimed to: 

• Create an inclusive space for local communities to reflect on their pandemic experiences and transform research insights into a tangible, creative product. 
• Explore innovative ways to engage under-served communities, particularly those in areas of high deprivation. 
• Strengthen partnerships between communities, third-sector organisations and academia to improve collaboration and ensure research findings benefit those most in need. 

The result was a beautifully co-produced zine book, developed through a series of creative workshops and events, including: 

• A poetry workshop with 18 public contributors, facilitated by Young Identity, a local charity supporting young people in creative writing and theatre. 
• A storyboard session to shape the book’s content and design. 
• An art workshop with the Caribbean and African Health Network. 
• A launch event during the University of Manchester’s Bicentenary Festival. 
• A special International Mother Language Day event at Contact Theatre, where contributors shared poetry in their mother tongue and discussed the power of language in cultural engagement. 

These activities received positive feedback from contributors, with some commenting: 

Art workshop with Caribbean and African Health Network.

“It was incredibly healing to be able to talk about Covid-19 openly. It was no longer a dirty, bad word that brought fear, but one that was simply a part of our lives – the good, the bad and everything in between.”

“It was one of the first times I’d been paid for writing poetry and that it was a really nice experience.”

Quite simply, the single most enjoyable part of research I have ever experienced, it was emotional, fun and hugely rewarding

Over 250 copies of the zine have been distributed to local third-sector groups, demonstrating how creative approaches can make research findings accessible and meaningful. Beyond its academic impact, this project became a celebration and tribute to the collective experiences of the pandemic. 

Additional information: 

• Read more about the project and research findings: Understanding Community Experiences in Greater Manchester during the COVID-19 pandemic and Exploring Inequalities in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme 
• Watch the launch event. 
• Download the zine: Manchester Memories: The COVID-19 Era. 

To find out more about PPIE: watch our short film, sign up to the monthly Public Engagement Digest, visit the PPIE blog, or contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk.       

To read more about other PPIE Award winners visit here. 

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