Academics from the University of Manchester worked alongside Ardwick Climate Action to understand Hums StARs – Students As Researchers – through the lens of the green space on campus.

Jen O’Brien, Professor of Geography at the University of Manchester, was a recipient of a Humanities Strategic Civic Engagement Fund (HSCEF) award in 2024 for her collaborative project with Ardwick Climate Action, a community group with the mission to protect the local environment. This funding scheme, which is the University’s Faculty of Humanities’ flagship social responsibility fund, offers support to projects that are inspired by the University’s Greater Manchester location, and which seek to improve communities across the city-region.

The project aimed to use the community allotment, located behind the University’s Kilburn Building, as a way to explore the role of students as researchers.

Jen, who runs the University Living Lab, aimed to understand Humanities students as researchers, giving them the opportunity to better recognise how research and teaching come together, and a voice to feed into and help co-construct the University’s research agenda alongside community partners. The community allotment on the University’s campus – a partnership with the community of Ardwick and Ardwick Climate Action – was used as the lens through which to examine this.

Reflecting on her project, Jen said: “It was galvanising how much students really enjoyed it – they absolutely want to be involved in research; some documented their experiences, providing lovely feedback about how they appreciated being involved in something real rather than theoretical.”

The project also helped to enhance biodiversity and give University staff and students the chance to learn from and with their community partners – Ardwick Climate Action and neighbours have extensive horticultural knowledge. Jen noted: “The allotment wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for Margaret, a resident of Ardwick who helps every Thursday. She has said before that it’s the highlight of her week and she loves working with our students.”

With the continued support of Ardwick Climate Action and community residents, the allotment continues to expand and become more established, with many students continuing to work and carry out research in the green space. Through the project, Jen hoped to make more students aware of their capacity to affect change: “We are so focused on the idea of students being changemakers when they graduate, but they can make a difference now.” 

• Find out more about Jen’s project and Ardwick Climate Action.