Research Participants Wanted

Women of Rural Derbyshire: Share Your Creative Story

Women in rural Derbyshire are invited to take part in a University College London MRes research project exploring why creativity in rural places matters.

This is a call for participants to share their experiences of creative, cultural and community-based arts participation in rural Derbyshire. The research aims to better understand how creativity may support wellbeing, belonging, identity and social connection, and to give voice to women’s experiences in an under-studied area of research.

Creativity can take many forms. This may include arts, crafts, textiles, music, dance, theatre, writing, making, local traditions, festivals, workshops, community groups, or other creative and cultural activities. You do not need to see yourself as an “artist” to take part.

I am also interested in speaking with women who facilitate, organise, lead or support creative and community-based arts activities in rural Derbyshire.

Who can take part?

You may be eligible to take part if you:

• are aged 18 or over;
• identify as a woman;
• live in rural Derbyshire, or facilitate creative/community arts activities with women in rural Derbyshire;
• take part in, organise, facilitate or support creative, cultural or community-based arts activities;
• are willing to share your experiences in a relaxed interview or small focus group discussion.

For this study, “rural” includes villages, small towns, market towns, hamlets and areas outside larger urban centres. It may also include places where people travel elsewhere to access creative, cultural or community opportunities because fewer activities are available locally.

What would taking part involve?

Participation would involve either a relaxed one-to-one interview or a small focus group discussion. This can take place in person at a convenient location, or online via Microsoft Teams.

The project is running throughout summer and into autumn 2026.

Participation is entirely voluntary. All participants will receive a full information sheet before deciding whether they wish to take part, and all contributions will be treated confidentially and anonymised in the final dissertation.

Liz Robertson is undertaking this research as part of the MRes Social Research programme at UCL Institute of Education.

For more information, or to express interest in taking part, please contact Liz Robertson  at elizabeth.robertson.25@ucl.ac.uk