Congratulations to colleagues in our Directorate of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and our LBGT ALLOUT staff group for our success in being named third highest university and 22nd among all UK employers in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, which measures our inclusion of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer/questioning people in the workplace. We’ve also been celebrating Student Volunteering Week, where a record-breaking 15,294 hours have already been contributed to hundreds of local charities and causes in Greater Manchester and beyond.

On social inclusion, our trainee teachers are Making LGBTQ+ History visible in the school curriculum. Early career academics and PhD researchers have set up a network focused on ethnicity and race. We have donated 80 abandoned bikes across campus to local charities who provide to those who need them most, making it 400 bikes donated to good causes since 2017. Our School of Social Sciences is hosting ‘College Behind Bars: Lessons from the US Bard Prison Initiative’, confronting and challenging conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration. And we’re delighted that Team Rwanda, our flagship overseas volunteering project, is due to go ahead in-person this summer.

On better health, Policy@Manchester have launched our On Cancer publication. Live, online lunchtime seminar series from the John Rylands Research Institute and Library begin with an event exploring how we taught midwifery in the 19th century. Our Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health are delighted to host Professor Gina Rippon, author of ‘The Gendered Brain’, for a talk celebrating International Women’s Day. A new trial has recently opened in Greater Manchester to test cutting-edge wearable technologies involving patients who have received cancer treatment. A collaborative study has led to the trial of a ground-breaking volunteer buddy scheme, aimed at improving mobility in older adults. And our medical expert, Dr Anisa Jafar, has been named as Young Researcher of the Year by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

On environmental sustainability we launched Recycle Week to engage staff and students on materials reuse through video and social media channels. A new report has been released on digital platforms and COVID-19 and their effects on urban transport systems. And an international research team from Manchester, Birmingham and other UK and Indian collaborators have discovered that water pollutants in rivers are caused by a mixture of chemical cocktails caused by natural chemical processes related to downstream flow.

On cultural engagement, our Manchester Museum and the Whitworth are hosting Museums and Galleries Responding to the Climate and Ecological Crisis – a major conference for the cultural sector established following COP26. We’ve been working in partnership with Manchester City Council on Our Year 2022 – a programme of activities for young people, providing opportunities to develop their confidence, aspirations and explore the world around them. And this month, find out more about Francine Hayfron, our Cultural Park Keeper at the Whitworth, by checking out our “Meet the…” film.

Coming up, there’s still time for undergraduate and postgraduate students to enter our first ever Sustainability Challenge Photography Competition. Nominations for our Volunteer of the Year Awards close on 6 March, so be sure to nominate before the deadline! And why not sign up for one of our upcoming events? There’s something for everyone, such as our annual Arthur Lewis Lecture, our bluedot festival, or our exciting celebration of partnerships on Friday 4 March as part of SDG Action and Awareness Week.

Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility