Parks, greenspaces and other natural environments are increasingly recognised as important resources for our mental wellbeing. But simply having a park nearby does not necessarily mean that everyone experiences the same benefits from it. As part of the Abundance Project, we wanted to explore this question in more detail. In particular, we were interested in […]
Catherine Dawkins, Head of Programmes at Connect: North Korea, an Abundance Project Community Research Hub, reflects on her recent visit to Birmingham for the Prevention Research Conference 2026. This March I had the opportunity to attend the Prevention Research 2026 conference, held at the Vox in Birmingham. The conference overall was set to explore the […]
Dr Rosie Hornbuckle, co-founder of the Complex Collaborations Research Hub at University of the Arts London, reflects on facilitating a series of co-design workshops for the Abundance Project. Almost a year ago, Maria – the Abundance Project Principal Investigator – approached me with an interesting proposition: could we bring some of the co-design methods from […]
New report: The role of community assets in tackling UK health inequalities through community engagement and partnerships in social prescribing. Last year, the Abundance Project, together with six other projects from the Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities programme – Arts4Us, ReCITE, Realities, Rural Health Equity, ARCHES and Connecting Roots – took part in […]
Louise Bloom, Community Hub Manager at Refugee Action Kingston, an Abundance Project Community Research Hub, reflects on a recent community mapping workshop, led by Dr Peter Garside, Abundance Project Co-Investigator and Head of the Department of Geography, Geology and the Environment at Kingston University. Here at Refugee Action Kingston (RAK), people are at the heart […]
We are delighted to share the publication of our Interim Report for The Abundance Project, marking an important milestone. Since launching in early 2024, our work across Croydon, Kingston and Hounslow has centred the voices of Black, minority ethnic and refugee communities to explore how cultural and green community assets can better support mental health […]
Dr Peter Garside of Kingston University, Abundance Project Co-Investigator and Work Package 2 Lead, shares insights about the research activities undertaken for this work package, and some of the key findings. Approach Whilst traditional desk-based, surveys and interview techniques are valuable in helping understand the way in which people interact and relate to local assets, […]
An update on the progress of our project as we move into a new and creative phase, led by Professor Maria Chatzichristodoulou, Principal Investigator and Work Package 4 Lead. Listening to Community Voices Over the past year, we have been listening closely to community members through storytelling workshops, focus groups, and community-led walks. These conversations […]
On World Mental Health Day 2025, we pause to take a look at how even brief interactions with nature – listening to birdsong or watching the sunset – have cumulative positive effects on mood, life satisfaction and mental clarity. Introduction For many of us, spending time in nature helps us relax and restabilise after a […]
We have recently shared learning and insights from the Abundance Project’s collaborative research activities at three prestigious health and care conferences in the UK. Francesca Taylor (Research Associate, Kingston University) gave an oral presentation on behalf of the Abundance Project team at the British Psychological Society Division of Health Psychology Conference 2025 in Cardiff, entitled […]