Hannah Kane is a final-year student studying Biblical Studies and Theology BA at the University of Nottingham (UoN). During her time at UoN, she has volunteered at Nottingham Castle and Wollaton Hall. Additionally, she has completed placements focusing on collections and research at The Workhouse in Southwell (National Trust) and UoN’s Manuscripts and Special Collections. 

Currently, she works at the UoN Libraries, helping students and staff navigate their way through the world of academic libraries. Hannah is also the Student Careers Blogger for the Faculty of Arts. Her work experiences have inspired her to pursue a career within historic collections/interpretation or information services, in the hope to preserve local heritage for future generations to enjoy.

Dhanya Rao is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Media and Communication Studies at the University of Nottingham, studying modules such as Gender, Sexuality & Media and Issues & Challenges in Contemporary Media. She graduated with a 2:1 in Liberal Arts (specialising in Media Studies), earning a first-class grade for her dissertation—a documentary that explored the restrictive narratives in Vedic traditions of Indian classical dance.

Professionally, Dhanya spent a year with Publicis Group in India, gaining hands-on experience in digital marketing. She has also completed internships with creative agencies and brands like Royal Enfield, where she worked on branding and strategy. Storytelling is at the heart of everything she does, and she is driven by a desire to craft meaningful narratives that connect with people and inspire positive change.

Elodie Edwards is an undergraduate student in the first year of her English and Classics BA degree at the University of Nottingham. She is working hard on various modules including Ancient History and Beginnings of English. In particular, she loves when her lectures bring old texts or ideas into the present. She is committed to applying her appreciation of ancient concepts to works of literature and exploring how they influence contemporary society. 

Her EPQ on Jane Austen adaptations did exactly this - it investigated how original stories impact the retellings centuries, or in some cases, millennia later. Staying in Ted Hughes' house as part of an Arvon programme in 2023, Elodie indulged in her passion for creative writing and one of her poems was published in the college magazine that she sub-edited. Elodie is looking to enhance her media skills through the MJMS placement.

George Bedford is currently a part-time Master's Student, studying History here at the University of Nottingham. Having started here in September 2024, George originally graduated from the University of Winchester with a BA in Medieval History. He focusses on Late Medieval Political History and the Nobility within the British Isle, with his dissertation being on Henry Percy, First Earl of Northumberland.

When George is not at University or indulging his passion for medieval history, he volunteers at his local Royal Air Force Air Cadet Squadron. He has also spent the past two summers working at a co-ed summer camp in the USA. George loves all things history and is absolutely thrilled to be part of the My Jewellery, My Story Placement.

Jemma Atkin-Barrett is a Community Participation Worker at Culture Leicestershire (Leicestershire County Council), with 20 years of experience in the museum sector. She is passionate about connecting with people and creating meaningful cultural experiences. One of her proudest achievements was leading the Do You See What I See? project, culminating in the Charnwood Community Curators exhibition—a co-curated experience developed alongside underserved audiences.

She is supporting her colleagues on Villiers Revealed, an LGBTQ+ project exploring hidden histories. She believes in the power of museums to inspire, connect, and give voice to everyone’s story, and she strives to make culture accessible and relevant for all.

Alison Mott is a writer, storyteller and freelance creative practitioner who makes use of storytelling in its many forms to support wellbeing and resilience in individuals and foster a sense of belonging and connection through group work across diverse communities.

Formerly a teacher in the UK’s government-maintained school sector, Alison is an Associate of Loughborough University’s Storytelling Academy, where she has taught applied storytelling skills to students and co-delivered Digital Storytelling activities to corporate and community organisations in the UK and beyond. 

A published author with an interest in heritage and memoir-writing, Alison is a member of the National Association of Writers in Education and accredited as a writing coach through the Arvon Foundation.  

See Alison’s freelance activities at www.alisonmott.com 

Learn more about Alison's Storytelling as Research project work at https://lborolemonadestand.wordpress.com/ 

Follow Alison on Facebook @alison.s.mott & Instagram @alison_mott 

Esther Shaw is part of Culture Leicestershire (CuL)’s participation team and works with communities to promote well-being through connecting and sharing culture and heritage.

As part of CuL’s audience development strategy, Esther has worked with faith groups at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and Charnwood Museum, co-curating exhibitions and developing meaningful and lasting relationships with underserved audiences.

Esther felt inspired to explore LGBTQ+ hidden histories after meeting the curator E J Scott and visiting the Museum of Transology in Brighton.

Esther loves visiting museums and is fascinated by the power of objects, pictures and sounds to prompt people’s stories.

As Senior Curator for Leicestershire County Council’s Museums, Alison Clague makes the collections in Leicestershire Museums care accessible through research, exhibitions, web content and social media.

Alison loves sharing Leicestershire Museums' wonderful objects and the stories they can inspire with diverse local communities across the county.

Alison's team works with volunteers, community groups and higher education providers to spark inspiration and promote a sense of place.

In the past year (2023), Alison has co-ordinated the redisplay of the Hallaton Helmet and worked on the development of Leicestershire Museums Collections LGBTQ+ strand.

Amanda is Cultural Participation Team Manager for Leicestershire County Council’s Heritage and Libraries Services.

Amanda’s passion is co-creating with communities whose voices, stories and connections are not fully represented or shared in cultural sites, assets and services. Amanda has been a specialist in this area for over 25 years.

She is passionate about exploring and sharing how cultural empowerment can change lives. When travelling the world for 6 years she and made it her mission to establish meaningful cultural projects in at least every continent.

These ranged from building new orphanages in Cambodia, using digital technology to support the recording of tribal languages with Aboriginal elders in Australia, working with families with HIV and AIDS in Ethiopia, supporting Tibetan refugees in India and Palestinian refugees in Beirut.

Recent projects Amanda has led on with Culture Leicestershire include Black Lives Matter Too!, 50 years of Ugandan Asian’s in the UK, Exploring Memories of Migration through objects, and Home Is Where We Are!-Gypsy and Traveller Voices.

Amanda is proud of leading on the successful Arts Council National Portfolio organisation bid for Culture Leicestershire 2023-26.

This inspired a unique partnership with Nottingham University and Creative Leicestershire to develop of the first co-created Cultural Strategy for the Council.

Amanda acts as Chairperson for the East Midland’s Heritage Volunteering Group and leads on National Heritage Volunteer Leader of The Year Awards

Richard Knox has worked across Leicestershire Museums for 34 years as an archaeologist and as a site manager. 

Richard's biggest achievements were the redisplay of Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and of the 1620s House and Garden at Donington le Heath.

Richard now leads a small team, working with Culture Leicestershire colleagues and external partners to ensure that Leicestershire Museums' permanent and temporary exhibition interpretation and formal and informal learning activities on offer, across the five Museum and Heritage sites, are relevant, interesting, accurate and accessible to all.

Richard and his team also work with research volunteers to ensure they are able to represent their communities in Leicestershire Museums'  programme.

Daniel H. Mutibwa teaches in the areas of:

• the political economy of the media, cultural, creative, heritage, and digital economy industries;
• innovative community-led approaches to place-making;
• community-based participatory practice;
• information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D);
• critical digital media studies
• science and technology studies;
• and academic-policy engagement across the above-named areas.

He is the author of Cultural Protest in Journalism, Documentary Films and the Arts (2019) and co-editor of Communities, Archives and New

Collaborative Practices (2020) and Entanglements and Ambivalences: Africa and China Encounters in Media and Culture (2025).

See Daniel's full profile