We are proud to support the winners of our inaugural funding for creative projects designed to build new connections between people with lived experience of cancer in our communities and the cancer research happening within the SCRC.
The SCRC sat down with Deborah Humphrey and Karina Patfield to talk about their project.
SCRC: Can you share a brief overview of your project?
DH, KP: This project aims to capture the experiences of people, other than professionals, who spend time in oncology waiting rooms. This can be a stressful time for patients/families and accompanying friends. This experience is rarely captured in creative ways. Hence the idea to use creative writing and collaged words.
SCRC: What was the inspiration for your project?
DH, KP: The creative inspiration comes from our experience on the MA in creative writing at the University of Brighton and from Deborah’s background in mental health nursing.
SCRC: What do you think are the main challenges we face in engaging the community with cancer research? How does your project help to address this?
DH, KP: Having cancer is a challenging time for people with the disease and their support network, it is emotionally and physically exhausting, it can be difficult to gauge the right time to engage.
People who go through treatment can be nervous about what they say to professionals often under the belief that it may affect their care.
In any health related work it is often a challenge to engage a diverse community.
This project is removed from a health setting. It allows for a variety of people to speak in their own words, and they will own their words, so they control who sees their work. Further creative expression doesn't need to be explained, it can be written in a way that is meaningful to the person creating the words. Both Karina and I have contacts with a range of diverse communities who may not usually get access to this type of project.
SCRC: Do you have any mentors that have benefited your practice?
DH, KP: Dr Jess Moriarty, Programme lead for the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton, helped us to think about how we take our creative skills into the community as writers in residence. This has enabled us to maintain our own writing practices as well as developing community workshops where writing and creativity are the central focus.
SCRC: The SCRC aims to support cancer research for patient benefit across Sussex, how do you think creative practice can support this mission?
DH, KP: We will be running workshops in Brighton/Hove and further east in either Eastbourne or Hastings in order to capture a more diverse geographical spread.
SCRC: If people want to follow you and your team or get updates as the project progresses, where can they get more info?
DH, KP: You can find our Linkedin profiles here: Deborah, Karina
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Your support has an enormous impact on our research, transforming what we are able to do. Together we have the potential to transform the lives of cancer patients. With your support we are working to discover cutting-edge treatment approaches, that are both kinder and more effective.
We have parntered with the Sussex Cancer Fund to ensure your donations support life-changing research here in Sussex.
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