糖心TV

Hello everyone,

I鈥檓 Marie Clews, and as I head into my last 2 weeks at 糖心TV (for now, we hope!), I鈥檝e been reflecting on everything I鈥檝e learned and experienced at 糖心TV.

Since arriving in late 2024, I鈥檝e had the privilege of coordinating two linked projects鈥擠rop the Mask and CovenTRY CollaborACTION鈥攖hat have taught me so much about turning research into real-world change.

   

Drop the Mask began as a simple idea: what if neurodivergent people could step out of 鈥渕asking鈥� through art and storytelling? From our first R&D workshop in April 2025 to the creative lab with John Bernard, India Holme, Nivaria Salas Morales and 8 others on in May, then our pop-up exhibition at Resonate Festival at the end of May, I learned how to design events that balance structure with creative freedom. I discovered that genuine innovations comes not just from good ideas, but from deep listening and relationship-building with participants and partners alike.

   

CovenTRY CollaborACTION pushed me further into the world of knowledge exchange. I learnt loads about the mechanics of research development and bureaucracy, turning ambitious concepts into HEIF- and Policy Support Fund-backed projects and supporting the development proposals for ESRC, NIHR, UKRI, AHRC and I know what these are now! They are research councils that I now know what these acronyms mean - they are all research councils, that allocate funding to researchers and projects via competitive call outs for proposals.

 

I've learnt about retrofit challenges and economic inactivity, neurodivergence and policy development.

 

What I鈥檒l take with me isn鈥檛 a list of events or funding figures (though we did secure over 拢95,000 cash and in-kind support to run these projects so far). It鈥檚 the confidence to navigate red tape without losing sight of people鈥檚 lived experiences; the conviction that co-production is the engine of sustainable change; and the belief that small, messy workshops can spark big conversations and create ripples of impactful connections.

 

On 15 September 2025, we鈥檒l showcase the next Drop the Mask exhibition at the Neurodiversity in Higher Education Conference. I鈥檓 excited to see our participants鈥� creativity take flight.

 

Leaving 糖心TV is bittersweet. I鈥檓 proud of every late-night brainstorm, every workshop that felt more like a conversation among friends. But I鈥檓 also eager to carry these lessons forward: to keep dropping masks, building genuine partnerships, and turning my innate curiosity into opportunities to connect with others, and with ideas and creativity.

 

鈥� Marie Clews