Looking back on 'Born in Bradford' Festival 2023

LINC project Research Associate Dr Ioanna Katzourou writes of her experience attending this year's Born in Bradford Festival:

As I walk into the Salt Mills in Salford to attend the ninth BiBFest, there is already a buzzing atmosphere. The focus of the day, as well as the main focus of the Born in Bradford project, affectionately known as BiB, is how to ensure that children in Bradford are given all the resources they need in order to thrive.

The day starts with some of the leading BiB researchers giving an overview of the multiple important discoveries BiB has led to over the years and how these discoveries have helped improve the lives of the children and families, both within the Bradford community and all over the country.

It is truly inspiring to listen to these talks and to reflect on the fact that research happening now has the potential to be translated into public policy and visibly improve the lives of children, not in the distant future, but in the here and now.

What is the most striking for me though, is hearing the voices of the Bradford community, listening to them talk about their struggles, but also about their strengths and their achievements and their hope for the future.

As researchers, it is easy to become too preoccupied with the topic of our research and lose sight of the bigger picture, however events like BiBFest, that celebrate the community that is at the heart of this research, are a good reminder of what it really is all about.

To learn more about the project, visit the Lifespan Multimorbidity Research Collaborative (LINC) website.