BU Research Blog

Community Pride, a new podcast series created by Bournemouth University postdoctoral researcher Dr Kayla Jones, has officially launched as part of Learning from Big Local, a platform showcasing community-led change across England.

The podcast is a creative output of the AHRC-funded StoryArcs project—a practice-based research collaboration between BU and Bath Spa University. The series was produced during Kayla’s time as a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Dr Lyle Skains at BU, who led on the funding acquisition and collaborative partnership that made this project within StoryArcs possible.

Each episode of Community Pride dives deep into the lived experiences of residents in communities supported by the Big Local programme, a 10-year initiative managed by Local Trust. Kayla worked closely with Local Trust to identify and engage community members whose stories reflect resilience, creativity, and pride in place. She conducted interviews, gathered local perspectives, and took the project from raw audio to fully produced episodes—writing, editing, and sound-designing each one herself.

“It brings together research, resident stories and practical insight into what it really takes for communities to lead change,” says Local Trust’s Lucy Terry. “And how funders, researchers, policymakers and practitioners can enable it.”

This podcast embodies the ethos of practice-based research—fusing academic insight with creative storytelling to reach both scholarly and public audiences. It’s a shining example of how postdoctoral research can extend beyond traditional publishing routes, bringing the voices of underrepresented communities directly into the spotlight.

Listen to the podcast here:

• Episode 1: Community Pride – Episode 1
• All episodes: Full series link