Impact case study database

The impact of Ali’s research changed understanding amongst British Muslims regarding the permissibility of organ donation. Ali achieved this through influencing the communication of public health campaigns including via the National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA). Workshops across the UK, for example in Cardiff, London, Bolton and Birmingham, also led to an increase in the number of British Muslims pledging to donate their organs.

4.1 Influencing NHS Blood and Transplant’s ‘Transplantation in Islam’ campaign

Since 2017, the research shaped the communication of the NHSBT’s ‘Transplantation in Islam’ campaign. The campaign engages with Muslim faith leaders and community influencers to increase positive attitudes towards organ donation amongst the diverse Muslim communities in the UK. For example, the research supported communication of a new pro-donation fatwa commissioned by NHSBT and published in June 2019. The fatwa provides a religious justification for organ donation, by way of removing theological guilt and helping those who may be unsure to understand that donation is morally permissible.

Ali was asked to play an integral role in the campaign as there was a risk that people might feel the new fatwa was commissioned purely to support a specific government agenda. The NHSBT Project Lead for the campaign, explains that “Dr Ali’s academic work reviewing over 100 Fatawa (religious edicts) on organ donation in Islam are unrivalled in the UK” and so he was approached “as an independent academic scholar to demonstrate that the Fatwa was indeed free from any prescriptive directive by NHSBT” [5.1].

Ali led the communication and public discussion around the new fatwa alongside the NHSBT Project Lead for the ‘Transplantation in Islam’ campaign [5.1, 5.2, 5.3]. Five videos of Ali interviewing the Muslim scholar, who was commissioned to write the fatwa, were released in June 2019 to explain that fatwa’s place within theological and medical doctrine [5.4a]. These videos “received positive feedback for their clarity and relevance to community concerns” [5.1]. They are among the most popular on the NHSBT channel, having been watched over 19,494 times [5.4a]. In comparison, the other 11 general videos explaining the new ‘opt-out’ legislation have only been watched 2,576 times in the same period.

The NHSBT Project Lead confirmed Ali’s impact on the success of the campaign: “His [Ali] outreach has without doubt raised awareness and understanding of organ donation. The diverse Muslim communities have definitely moved from the position of not wanting to engage in the discussion to being more proactive and actively seeking out information as a result of our combined efforts” [5.1]. NHSBT’s Chief Executive and its Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation both thanked Ali for “providing such extensive insight” to “help Muslims across the UK make their own donation decision” [5.2].

4.2 Increasing understanding of organ donation within the British Muslim community

Ali engaged British Muslims via workshops and media interviews. He worked in particular with imams (religious leaders) as these trusted and well-respected figures have a great deal of influence within their respective communities. This resulted in a more positive view of organ donation among the community and increased the ability of British Muslims to make informed and personal choices about organ donation. This included:

• leading a series of seven workshops and roundtables (funded by NHSBT ‘Transplantation in Islam’ Community Investment Fund, £2,046). These were held in areas with significant Muslim populations (compared with the total 4.8% population of England and Wales, data from Muslim Council of Britain). For example, 195 imams, scholars and members of the Muslim community attended events in London (12.4% of the city’s population are Muslim), Cardiff (6.8%), and Newcastle (6.3%), with further workshops in Bradford (24.7%), Bristol (5.1%), Blackburn (27%) and Preston (11.2%) [5.1, 5.2, 5.5a];

• speaking at events run by the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) in Newcastle (120 attendees) and London (80 attendees). Ali – who spoke on the theological interpretations of organ donation in Islam – was the only academic on the panel with the other members either medical professionals or imams [5.6];

• taking part in media debates and discussions on the theological interpretations of organ donation, including interviews on Islamic TV channel ‘Iqra TV’ with a weekly average of 62,000 viewers, and live webinars on Facebook and YouTube (for example, an interview on Facebook Live in April 2020 with 515 views) [5.4b, 5.4c, 5.6].

4.3 Impact of this work on community leaders and influencers

Two of the workshops (in Preston and London, with 30 attendees at each) were delivered exclusively to imams. Imam Suliman Gani, from London, states the important role that imams hold as moral guides as “the community members trust the imam and often rely on his knowledge and guidance…It is important for imams to have the knowledge of organ donation as the Muslim community will rely on him and listen to his views” [5.7]. Attending the workshops helped change imams’ understanding of organ donation, an important message to spread to their communities.

For example, Imam Mohammad Roziur Rahman notes that ahead of the BIMA event in Newcastle “Imams…were reluctant to attend due to ‘legitimising organ donation’ by their presence” [5.8]. However, he confirms that “His [Ali’s] clear explanation and theological examination of the matter proved to be a turning point for all of the attendees” [5.8]. Imam Suliman Gani notes that “Dr Ali's research has clarified the Islamic justifications for organ donation and has helped imams to be able to better communicate with the community” [5.7].

4.4 Impact of this work on community members

National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) stated that the workshops led by Ali “empowered members of the Muslim community and helped them to make a decision regarding organ donation through theologically informed presentations” [5.9]. Imam Mohammad Roziur Rahman, who hosted the BIMA event in Newcastle, highlighted that *“Dr Mansur Ali made the biggest impact on the audience” and that his interpretation of Islamic law in an easily digestible and relatable way led to “a massive achievement” in communicating this complex area to Muslim communities [5.8].

Feedback from the workshops and sessions for NHSBT [5.5b] showed that:

• over 60% of participants who were either unsure or had viewed organ donation as forbidden, regarded it as permissible in certain contexts after the workshops;

• nearly 95% of participants reported learning new theological standpoints, and that their concerns were alleviated by learning about the multiple possible lines of interpretation;

• 100% of respondents to a post-webinar survey reported a change in understanding from their previous position [5.5b].

Participant feedback from Ali’s workshops for NHSBT [5.5b] not only demonstrates this change in understanding, but additionally shows that participants would also now promote and encourage organ donation after the event:

• One workshop participant, who reported that they “ thought it was haram [forbidden by Islamic law]” at the start of the session, stated afterwards that they now believed “ to donate is a valid position. And I am inclined to donate”;

• [Before the session] “That it was absolutely haram”, but [after the session] that “Islam is very easy on us, it’s our personal understanding”;

• “[I thought that donation was] Not permissible however after the presentation I understand the whole issue better and can lean to the permissibility of Organ Donation”;

• “I have a better understanding of the opinions of receiving and donating organs as well as the arguments for and against such opinions…I would make people aware of the different stances and inform them that it is not a simple yes or no topic”;

• “I would encourage people to think about organ donation and make an informed decision and then communicate this to their next of kin and families” [5.5b].

Surveys from the BIMA events show a similar change in participant understanding and intention to donate their organs. For example, at the Newcastle event, “most of the attendees were unsure if organ donation is permissible (halal) in Islam and only 16% had registered to be organ donors before the event. After the event 79% showed intention to register as organ donors as they felt it is permissible and a noble deed after they had their concerns and questions addressed” [5.6, 5.9]. BIMA’s Health Promotion Lead stated that “Dr Ali’s analysis of the Islamic jurisprudence and historical and current verdicts (Fatawa) was instrumental in increasing the knowledge and changing the opinion of a significant number of attendees” [5.6].

An NHS tracking code provided for attendees at two of these workshops showed that 25 participants also pledged to donate organs after death (despite the new laws on opt-out organ donation, the NHS still encourages the “pledging” of organs to remove any ambiguity around a person’s wishes after they are deceased) [5.5b]. This represents an important contribution for a group so significantly under-represented in organ donation, as evidenced by the fact that in 2019, there were only 121 BAME (or just 8% of the UK total) deceased organ donors in the UK [5.10].

Lambert’s research revolutionised the accessibility of Attic inscriptions; changed how heritage professionals and museum visitors present and understand inscriptions; enhanced the teaching of the history of ancient Athens; and underpinned the technical development of other archives.

4.1 Providing searchable access to ‘lost’ Attic inscriptions for multiple uses

Before the launch of Attic Inscriptions Online (AIO), very few inscriptions had been translated into English, either in print or online, and finding multiple inscriptions with linked subject matter or content was exceptionally difficult for those without knowledge of Ancient Greek. AIO’s open access and user-friendly database changed this.

AIO has published more English translations of Attic inscriptions – 1,837 to date – than any other single publication, hard copy or online, and is unique among online inscriptions databases in foregrounding translations, making this kind of source material freely available to non-specialists and those without knowledge of Latin and Greek. Since August 2013, the site has had nearly 230,000 visits, with a monthly average of 5,008 visits from 5,846 locations worldwide (since January 2018) [5.1]. Since August 2013, after the UK, the site has been visited most frequently by users from the USA, Greece, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Australia, France and Japan, followed by 164 other countries [5.1]. The 2019/20 user survey (114 respondents) supports this, showing that 60% of respondents were based outside the UK [5.2].

The survey also provides a snapshot of the wide range of user groups. Respondents include educators from primary, secondary and University education institutions, students, collection managers, museum curators, and members of the public with an interest in Greek epigraphy [5.2]. One visitor commented: “AIO is a pioneering project which has the power to transform the landscape of the study not only of Ancient Athenian inscriptions but also of the humanities as a whole. It is a major tool for the dissemination of classics and the subsequent appreciation by larger segments of the population of their importance” [5.2].

AIO resulted in changes in awareness and knowledge of the inscriptions for users:

• "…Greek inscriptions have not always been used to the fullest potential. AIO Online makes Attic inscriptions accessible for the widest possible audience and gives helpful links and notes";

• “By far the most efficient and informative source for Attic inscriptions";

• “The notes and comments to the texts are highly valuable and up-to-date”;

• “[AIO] significantly improves our ability to find, understand and further investigate these inscriptions” [5.2].

4.2 Helping heritage professionals and visitors to better understand inscriptions

The website is used by museums and curators including the British Museum and the Krateros project in the USA, to better use and present their collections and to improve their accessibility [5.2]. In the 2019/20 survey, 7 out of 8 self-identified collections managers or museum curators said the site had had a significant or transformative impact on their capacity to present Attic inscriptions to visitors [5.2]. Curators from museums, including the British Museum, noted:

• “Inscriptions have been historically difficult to display and visitors often walk past…This project has the great benefit of making inscriptions more accessible both visually and in terms of their content [5.2];

• “The inscriptions here are well organized and the notes are extremely helpful for me as an [museum] educator who is not an expert in the area” [5.2].

AIO is also widening access to Greek inscriptions for both virtual and physical museum visitors. In the 2019/20 survey, 16% of respondents self-identified as a museum visitor. Of these, nearly three quarters reported that being able to access AIO had had a significant or transformative impact on their understanding of Attic inscriptions in a collection they had visited or planned to visit. Respondents stated:

• “It is very useful to have up-to-date details on current locations of inscriptions so that you can know in advance what you are actually going to see in a particular museum”;

• “The historical background and translations provided by AIO finally allow [users] to see inscriptions not as texts on stone but provide the necessary historical context for the texts to be understood” [5.2].

4.3 Transforming educational practices for teaching the history of Ancient Athens

AIO is used globally and has unlocked Ancient Greek inscriptions in both Higher and Secondary education settings. One teacher stated: “It is transformative...for pedagogy, where one is working with students for whom untranslated Greek is either challenging or impossible to work with" [5.2].

According to the 2019/20 user survey, just over half of AIO’s visitors were engaged in teaching or learning [5.2]. To put this in context, around 10% of the 6,500 UK students a year studying Classical subjects at A-level take Ancient History. Additionally, there are approximately 30 University Departments in the UK offering degrees in Classics and/or Ancient History, and a further 8 where Classical options are taught within other degrees. In the 2019/20 survey, 86% of 51 self-identified teaching users rated AIO and its resources to be transformative or significant. 89% of 38 self-identified student users also described it as having a transformative or significant impact on their learning [5.2].

For example, a student noted: “it helped a lot for my studies, [e]specially in lessons [like] Greek Epigraphy, and it made the start of every investigation much more easy and comfortable” [5.2]. Teachers stated that:

• "AIO made it possible to use inscriptions in courses where students do not know any Greek or not enough to read complicated inscriptions: unthinkable before! Epigraphy has been made accessible to students whose majors is not classics or philology”;

• “AIO has also made it much much easier to include Athenian inscriptions (indeed epigraphic material at all) in my teaching”;

• “For teaching, a whole set of evidence is opened up to students that would otherwise never be able to work with it - those who have no working knowledge of Greek” [5.2].

The online format also increased accessibility by removing the financial limitations of expensive specialist volumes; Boris Chubrasik (Assistant Professor, University of Toronto) notes that for teaching, the site is “really transformative, as at this level, we used to have to ‘make do’ with very limited translated documents” [5.3]. The notes, in a format unique to this database, are also reported by users to be particularly supportive of student learning. Professor Michele Faraguna (University of Milan) says it is “a fundamental reference point” in his teaching as “the notes are in turn becoming more and more detailed and helpful” [5.4]. Another user states that “the explanatory notes are really helpful. I think all of this combined helps students connect with and understand epigraphic evidence much better" [5.2].

Teachers have described the many ways in which they use the site in the classroom. For example, Sarah Holliday, Head of Classics at Aylesbury Grammar School (UK), describes AIO as “a very helpful and easy to navigate tool for teaching A2 Ancient History - Greece in Conflict. The translations are modern, all the details are on the screen, including references to literary sources, which is very helpful for worksheet creation!” [5.5]. Another teacher, responding anonymously to the site user survey, stated that they “Used the site recently to prepare materials for a sixth form 'Classics extension trip' to the British Museum - AIO was excellent for this” [5.2].

Two papers published on AIO aim to support teachers and students. AIO10 (1,567 views to date **[5.6]**) is a short guide to the materials available on the site by topic, whilst AIO8 discusses two inscriptions which are prescribed source material for OCR (A-level) Ancient History. AIO8 has been the most visited content page on the site since publication in June 2017 (8,997 views to date **[5.6]**). Teachers identify how these have been used, for example:

• Holliday notes they “gave me a greater level of context to the decrees and had a significant impact on my own understanding, which I was then able to pass on to my students” [5.5].

• Chubrasik states “AIO8 certainly has a significant impact on my teaching of Greek history as I can now easily give this document to students to quickly read up both on the history, and the documents with up-to-date references. I have used AIO10 to guide graduate students into the way of teaching Greek history (and inscriptions more broadly), and I think it has been very effective” [5.3].

4.4 Creation of other archives using AIO’s technical infrastructure

AIO’s successful format and approach inspired the conception and development of Greek Inscriptions Online (GIO), a website run by the Greek Epigraphic Society and the Hellenic Educational and Research Centre. It is the first database of Modern Greek translations of inscriptions from across the Ancient Greek world for use by heritage and educational professionals in Greece [5.7, 5.8]. Andronike Makres, Director of GIO, states that “AIO was the source of inspiration and the model for the creation of GIO” [5.8], and the homepage of GIO credits its infrastructure to AIO: “AIO has made available its unique design and infrastructure to GIO, and the two sites work closely together, sharing epigraphic texts in Ancient Greek, as well as images and other data” [5.8]. AIO committed staff time (including that of the IT Director and the IT and coding assistant) to setting up GIO and coding the initial set of texts [5.8].

The sites share information so that Greek users can also access the English translations on AIO, and vice versa, which Makres notes as a “meaningful and...fundamental operation for the user of the two databases” [5.8]. GIO is awaiting further funding to add 150 inscriptions to expand its current database [5.8].

In summary, Lambert’s research – via the annotated English translations on AIO – opened up access of Attic inscriptions to a diverse range of users around the world. Previously the preserve of specialists, Attic inscriptions are now illuminating the history of ancient Athens and the life of its inhabitants for multiple users, including heritage professionals, museum visitors, teachers, and students.

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) cares for some of Britain’s most iconic heritage sites including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Kensington Palace. Kidd’s research and collaborative work with HRP supported the organisation to embed robust ways of negotiating remembrance and commemoration. This led to changes in HRP’s approach to remembrance work; generated new ways of thinking that influenced creative practice and engaged more diverse audiences through the ‘Why Remember? ’ programme; and developed HRP’s research culture.

4.1 Changing Historic Royal Palaces’ practice around remembrance

Kidd’s research, via the Significance of the Centenary network, was used by HRP in their plans to commemorate the 2014 centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. The research supported Alex Drago (Explorer Manager in HRP’s Learning and Engagement Team) to develop the ‘Why Remember?’ learning programme, which HRP states was “designed specifically to engage our audiences in a meaningful discussion about First World War remembrance and by so doing, transform their relationship to it” [5.1, p.78 ]. The programme of interactive events and initiatives accompanied the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation, which featured more than 800,000 ceramic poppies in the Tower of London moat from July to November 2014.

Drago used the research to formulate three questions which underpinned the programme. He stated: “The ‘Significance of the Centenary’ Network was crucially important in informing the Why Remember? approach. It was as a result of this experience that I formulated three questions… ‘Why should we remember the war?’, ‘Why are 100 years so significant?’ and ‘How do you want to remember?’” [5.2].

These questions aimed to “diversify or disrupt the white middle class military view of remembrance which is so often the default for heritage institutions, including HRP” and to help visitors to develop a personalised approach to remembrance, regardless of their background [5.2]. Highlighting Kidd’s input, Drago stated that the research allowed him to “make the case within HRP for a more dynamic and less didactic programme to accompany the poppies installation, one that would seek to provoke personal, and even transformational, engagement with the idea of remembrance” [5.2].

‘Why Remember?’ ran from August-November 2014 and reached over 1.25M people worldwide [5.2]. This included:

• adult learning talks and workshops to 128 people [5.3];

• community engagement including animation workshops in Tower Hamlets [5.2] and reminiscence work in Blackfriars residential home [5.3];

• activities for children and young people including object-handling, story-telling and costume interpretation with 2,500 people; a theatre performance with 500 young people, and a family trail undertaken by over 10,000 people [5.3]. Drago highlighted a broadcast on the Discovery Channel on 10 November 2014, which “used the three questions to engage students and support teachers in the associated professional development programme” and reached 1 million students in 61 countries [5.2].

‘Why Remember?’ “was especially important for HRP because it helped non-traditional and younger audiences engage with the centenary” and “promoted stronger and more connected communities…by developing an appreciation of the sacrifices of all those who lived during the First World War” [5.2].

Drago further noted that asking people how they want to remember was important “for younger and/or more diverse audiences who have no family connection to the war but who want to participate in and/or create remembrance activities that are meaningful to them and their communities” [5.2]. A national heritage sector publication ‘Museums and Heritage Advisor’ noted that the programme helped “thousands of…visitors to better understand the significance of the First World War commemorations” [5.4].

4.2 Embedding Historic Royal Palaces’ new approach to commemoration

‘Why Remember?’ was so successful that its approach was used again by HRP in November 2018 for ‘Beyond the Deepening Shadows’, an installation of flames in the Tower moat to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. [Text redacted] confirmed that [text redacted] [5.5]. As the project film developed by HRP notes, this encouraged audiences to question whether commemorations could be limiting, what kind of emotions are produced through collective remembering, and what the political dimensions of remembrance are [5.6].

The research also influenced decision-making and planning around the new ‘Beyond the Deepening Shadows’ installation. [Text redacted] stated: [text redacted] [5.5]. Initially conceptualised as an artistic piece, [text redacted] used the findings about the earlier installation to show that audiences would likely view it as a commemoration instead. [Text redacted] noted that this [text redacted] [5.5].

The three ‘Why Remember?’ questions – informed by the Cardiff research [3.1] – were used to develop a survey which captured 3,588 public responses between 2014-2018. These showed that the ‘Why Remember?’ programme, developed with the aim of creating more meaningful responses to commemoration, had elicited personal and emotional responses [5.1]:

• “It is only at 100 years that we can truly put it into perspective. Here is the tipping point where the myths are already rooted and now it has become a story for the telling of other stories. Now is the time we can take another look at those myths, and reclaim the other stories which have been pushed to the sidelines”;

• “I want to remember BOTH sides in this conflict. I am very concerned that the remarkable and moving poppy installation is only counting the losses on the British/Commonwealth side. To only remember those lost on this side, rather than also all those that WE killed, does not demonstrate any degree of humanity and reconciliation”;

• “I never knew my grandparents, my mother never saw her father as he was at the western front and died there, we are the last generation to really feel the effect of losing our loved ones and the consequenses [sic] of it. The centenary of the war is a great time and the last time our generation have of passing on the truth, the stories, the horrors and senselessness of it to the next generations”.

4.3 Developing the research culture and narrative at Historic Royal Palaces

The ‘Why Remember?’ programme led to [text redacted] [5.5]. ‘Why Remember?’ encouraged the department to think critically about their outreach and work with audiences, and to recognise the research value of their work [5.5]. Research at HRP had previously been focussed on market research and quantitative data, but Kidd’s work brought new ideas to the department about content analysis, critical discourse analysis, research ethics and theoretical thinking [5.5]. This led to the department beginning [text redacted], with [text redacted] confirming that [text redacted] [5.5].

For example, visitor postcards from a Queen Victoria exhibition at Kensington Palace offered potentially useful qualitative data, but there was a lack of knowledge in the department about how best to use and handle this wealth of information [5.5] . Based on [text redacted] proposed qualitative research methods to help them move beyond a basic sentiment analysis and assess this more in depth [5.5]. The support from Kidd to develop new approaches [text redacted] and [text redacted] [5.5].

This change in approach to research contributed to HRP’s successful application for Independent Research Organisation status in 2015, which HRP’s Head of Research, Wendy Hitchmough, described as a “huge milestone” [5.4]. ‘Why Remember?’ was integral to the application [5.2] as evidence of research capacity and [text redacted] [5.5].

Drago confirmed the importance of the programme in the application as it “helped to develop a new approach, that placed considerably greater emphasis on the audience itself and how they make sense of the past, rather than presenting a traditional narrative through an exhibition and expecting the public to make sense of them. These are approaches that are underdeveloped across the sector and yet clearly have considerable potential to change how we engage with the past” [5.2].

HRP’s new status opened up many opportunities for practitioners [5.2] as it allowed HRP to apply for research funding which they had previously not been able to apply for. HRP has since been awarded five grants as Principal Investigator, totalling over £407,000, on subjects including Tudor dwellings, Henry VIII’s palaces, and Queen Victoria’s royal image [5.7]. [Text redacted] [5.8] [text redacted].

The CAER Heritage Project’s research-led engagement with Caerau and Ely communities – since August 2013 – involved 697 local participants [5.1a, p.51 ], 15 non-Higher Education partners, and attracted 4,019 visitors to events and excavations [5.2]. This increased cultural participation with marginalised communities, developed positive narratives about the community, improved educational inclusion, and “brought the work of higher education, and the possibilities it opens up, directly into the lives of young people and families who, otherwise, would never have seen these opportunities as belonging to them” [5.3 – Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales ].

4.1 Changing attitudes to heritage and cultural participation

“[CAER] has turned a vague sense of local history and its importance into a very real, tangible and constructive thing” [5.2 - Dave Horton, Development Manager, ACE ].

Through CAER activities, Cardiff research “hugely increased community engagement, particularly amongst groups…traditionally hard to reach” [5.2]. These groups include school pupils, sixth formers, young people excluded from education, long-term unemployed people, people with physical and mental health issues, retired people, and working parents [5.1a, p.51 ]. A survey of the 2,062 visitors to the hillfort or associated roadshows in 2015 showed that [5.1a, p.51 ]:

• 95% said visiting the Caerau excavations had increased their interest in archaeology;

• 100% said that it had helped them to better understand the importance of Caerau Hillfort;

• 95% said that it had changed their attitude towards their community's heritage.

Local people describe how working with CAER has helped them “to find out more about the history of where I live” and that as a result of the project “ a lot of people realize now what they’ve got on their doorstep” [5.4a]. Participants feel valued, with one stating: “ everyone recognises that the project could not have happened without local people. That is a great feeling to be part of something this significant” [5.5]. CAER excavations at the Hillfort in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019 put “local residents at the centre of efforts to uncover the prehistoric origins of Cardiff” [5.6a, ITV Wales ]. They were also noted as an example of best practice for engagement and “community cohesion” in the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) [5.6b].

Between 2017-19, 189 local people were involved in co-developing the successful £2.1M bid for Hidden Hillfort, an ambitious community regeneration project to transform the site into a heritage attraction. The project, run by CAER and seven non-Higher Education partners, received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£1.3M), the Wellcome Trust/BBC Children in Need (£120K), Wales and West Housing Association (£70K), Moondance Foundation (£220K), First Campus (£12K) and Cardiff University (£422K to include embedding a five year academic project director at ACE) [5.2]. Three years of community-led excavation and surveys (2019-2022) will develop a new infrastructure, including a state-of-the-art heritage centre, which will act as a gateway to the Hillfort, a hub for community co-produced explorations, and a multi-use space for community groups. Richard Bellamy, Director for Wales of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the project “shows clearly how local heritage can be a catalyst for lots of different activities and bring people together behind a common purpose” and that providing skills training to the community enabled “people to enjoy the history on their own doorstep” [5.7].

4.2 Growth and development of community organisation ACE

ACE’s nine-year partnership with CAER “brought a new dimension to the work which ACE leads” [5.3 Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales ]. For example, the organisation benefited from professional development opportunities, engagement networks, and new partnerships. CAER’s successful grant capture “facilitated significant extra capacity for ACE” by enabling professional and/or academic staff to be embedded within the organisation’s community development work [5.2]. This led to the expansion of ACE, with the employment of three staff members. The heritage centre developed through the Hidden Hillfort project also provides ACE with a “vital” new resource “ to provide new activities and services for local people and opportunities for local people to develop their own action” [5.2]. Describing CAER as “one of the most successful and significant projects” run by ACE, Horton confirmed that collaboration with the Cardiff team “changed our working practices by giving a much broader sense of what you can do and what is possible” [5.2].

4.3 Improving the community narrative

“We have taken ownership of our own locality and heritage…The project has won two major community archaeology awards, projecting us onto a national stage” [5.4b – Helen, community volunteer, 2017 ].

Prior to the project, the community was often discussed negatively on a national stage as one of the UK’s most deprived areas. As Horton described it : “our neighbourhoods have come to be seen as ‘problems that need solving’ rather than as places with significant skills, knowledge and resources that have been neglected and ignored” [5.2]. CAER brought positive attention to the area and developed an alternative narrative that recognises its strengths. It provided “an opportunity for local people to understand the unique value of their community, enabling them to challenge stigma and to explore the kind of future they want for their neighbourhood” [5.2]. One local volunteer who returned to excavate in multiple seasons noted that “as an area we’re pushed to the back a lot and have been for years…now we’re at the forefront for something…which is pretty amazing” [5.1b, p.80 ].

The CAER website has over 85,387 views to date, with 15,215 from overseas (including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania, mainland Europe and the Middle East) [5.2]. National recognition includes i) winning the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement’s Engage Competition 2014 and ii) the Times Higher Education (THE) ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community’ Award in 2017 [5.8a]. The THE panel described the co-production approach as a means of *“addressing contemporary issues of social exclusion and educational needs, promoting skills development and challenging negative perceptions of these communities” [5.8a]**.

CAER’s role in changing the community narrative and upskilling individuals also brought personal benefits to residents. Horton stated that CAER is an opportunity “ to tell a different story about our community, whilst still making a contribution to tackling poverty by building skills and educational opportunities for people of all ages” [5.2]. Volunteers emphasise improvements to their wellbeing, for example: “I suffer quite a bit from depression, so it’s given me drive to get out of the house, get involved, become part of a team…which I’m really grateful for” [5.1b, p.81 ] and that the project “is a good way of bringing people together in the community” [5.4a]. Cameraman Vivian Thomas, who began as a volunteer and has since worked on a range of projects including CAER Studio, stated: “I cannot speak of the project without becoming quivering-lip emotional. Every day I look forward to the next dig and the next project to help tell the story of the history and heritage of Ely and Caerau…I’ve been able to experience for myself, and record for others how the project has helped increase wellbeing. For example, whilst digging people can forget the stresses of everyday life or step away from their difficulties for a time” [5.5].

The COVID-19 pandemic saw the community hit particularly hard by redundancy, food poverty, bereavement and social isolation. The CAER team collaborated with ACE to deliver Heritage Food Parcels on a bi-weekly basis to 25 homes (66 individuals) [5.8b]. 39 households (totalling 131 individuals) and 2 schools (around 60 pupils) also took part in ‘CAER Big Dig’, a back garden test-pit archaeology project to explore the heritage of social housing [5.8b]. The project recorded 1,710 volunteer hours, with 100% of participants feeling more engaged with local heritage and that the activity relieved some of social isolation of lockdown. 85% also agreed that participation had made them feel more positive about their situation [5.8b]. This “has given something positive to the area during a very difficult time and shows us that we had not been forgotten” [5.5].

4.4 Transforming educational opportunities

CAER has broken down barriers to learning and educational progression for children and adults. Vivian Thomas said: “I have not had the opportunity to go to university. The project has given me, and the other volunteers, access to university lecturers, new information, and the experiences that we probably would not have otherwise had” [5.5]. For example, the project has:

• delivered 7 free accredited adult learners’ courses within community contexts to 89 local adult learners (including unemployed and retired people) [5.2];

• involved 2,169 local pupils (Years 5-12) from 7 local schools [5.2], including Cardiff West Community High (CWCH) where 90% of pupils live in the lower socio-economic deprivation indicator quintile [5.9a].

Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister of Wales, noted that through the “remarkable” work going on at the site, and by taking university research to the area, the project “open[ed] opportunities for young people that have hitherto been very scantily available to them” [5.3].

CAER worked with CWCH to develop curriculum-based research activities at key stage 3, GCSE and A level, alongside a dedicated state-of-the-art CAER teaching room within the school. During COVID-19, CAER worked with the school to offer a virtual heritage project across all year groups [5.9a]. Headteacher Dr Martin Hulland confirmed: "CAER Heritage’s initiatives in terms of long term partnership building and sustained annual interventions are essential for our students. We estimate that over 500 pupils have engaged with the project. These are the kinds of experiences which change lives, raise aspirations and promote lifelong learning” [5.9a].

Two CWCH sixth-form pupils and three adult learners progressed to Cardiff University through direct involvement with CAER [5.2, 5.9a]. Former pupil Alanah Evans completed a degree in Archaeology and Ancient History after volunteering with CAER [5.9a]. She noted: “[CAER] has allowed me to discover the history within my area and let me share this knowledge with others” [5.10]. CAER has secured 8 scholarships for adult learners to progress to university (to be awarded 2019-2023 by Cardiff University), and 4 university scholarships for local pupils (the first was awarded in 2020) [5.9b], which Hulland described as a “ life changing opportunity” [5.9a].