A project led by Helen Bramah through the Collaboration Fund – December 2024
It all started on a Teams call with Florie, a fellow SWDTP-funded student whom I’d never met in person.
We are both mums and mature students, and both live quite some distance from campus. Doing a PhD is a challenge at the best of times, but juggling parental or caring responsibilities alongside studying and part-time work adds extra complexity. Travelling to in-person events is not always possible around family commitments, so Florie had taken the initiative and organised a series of online writing sessions.
It was on one such writing session that the idea first emerged.
“Wouldn’t it be great to do this in person?”
“Maybe we could even stay overnight and combine it with some wellbeing activities?”
A short Google form (the first of many) to survey the Parents & Carers Network confirmed that there was certainly an appetite for the plan. As well as time to focus on writing and the opportunity for informal networking, top of the list for other activities were yoga and walking – plus a surprising level of enthusiasm for swimming in the sea (admittedly we did ask the question in July).
At a subsequent online meeting of the Parents & Carers Network we floated the idea with Jackson Paterson, SWDTP Collaboration Facilitator. He was immediately enthusiastic and encouraged us to submit an application to the cohort building fund.
A retreat to Dorset
Fast-forward five months to a blustery day in mid-December: I find myself on the Isle of Portland, waiting to welcome 13 other students (all of whom I’d still never met in person) for a 2-day retreat.
Accommodation was to be provided by four local Airbnbs, all of which agreed to take a discounted single-night booking because the event was off season. The main accommodation venue was managed by a local arts organisation which generously provided meeting and writing space – with a panoramic sea view – as part of our booking. We were due to start with a coffee and then a walk along the nearby South West Coast Path to blow away the cobwebs before settling down to work.
In the event, the cohort-building aspect started before the group had even arrived, when we faced the challenge of the train – on which nine out of 14 participants were travelling – being cancelled. A flurry of WhatsApp messages saw one person collected by car, new train and taxi bookings, remote working in the Temple Meads café and a revised start time of 1pm.
Finally all in one place, we kicked off with a writing warm-up and reflection on our objectives for the two days. The benefits of being together and our shared needs became immediately evident: people opened up about the challenges of working in isolation, not feeling integrated into the university community and wanting to connect with other people in a similar situation. We spent the afternoon working on our individual writing and – without the distractions of school pickup, what to cook for dinner or toddler bedtimes – many people commented on how focused and productive they had found it.
Day two was centred on wellbeing with a restorative yoga session followed by an outdoor sauna experience. . With a wind chill of -1 degrees, the moment of having to strip down to only a swimsuit in the car park was certainly bracing. But once everyone was inside the hot saunas it didn’t take long to heat back up and, true to their word, at least half the group even jumped in the sea to cool down again. After lunch at a local café we spent the afternoon doing some exercise and getting to know each other on a circular walk around Portland Bill, finishing only just in time for the 5.30pm train home.
Short- and long-term benefits
“I came away feeling rested, relaxed, inspired, refreshed and joyful,” said one participant afterwards. “Most importantly I felt new connections with people and a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect for each other as ‘proper students’ who were all juggling other responsibilities.” For many of us living a long way from campus, the retreat was a rare opportunity to discuss our research with other people – helping us to gain more clarity on our own studies, and ideas and inspiration from the work of others.
As well as building a new community, making time to focus on looking after ourselves (often missed out between childcare and study) reminded everyone how much better physical activity could make them feel. Productivity is often about quality, not quantity, of time, and feeling physically and mentally rested can enable you to do your best work much more efficiently. Many people went away feeling motivated to get back into a more active lifestyle – having made new friends to do it with.
For me as the organiser, I not only connected with a great group of like-minded students but also got to know some inspiring new people in my local community. I’ve also gained new experience alongside my PhD which I hope I can draw on when it comes to applying for jobs or even in setting up my own business. For less than £150 per person, I think I made a real difference to a group of people who often miss out on other forms of support.
If you’re wondering whether applying for cohort-building funding is worth the effort, and whether it can really make an impact, I hope I’ve persuaded you that it can. As for me… time for a lie down.
