October 2025
History Masters Student Wins Research Prize to Curate Exhibition
When Woolton resident Simon Payne was going through his late stepfather Ernest Bailey's possessions, he uncovered an archive illustrating a lost episode of Liverpudlian philanthropy.
Ernest Bailey was a senior manager at Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (the predecessor of Merseytravel) and every year used his extensive business connections to organise a Christmas outing on the Mersey ferry for disadvantaged kids from local children's homes.
When Ernest died he left a treasure trove of photographs and 'thank you' letters from the 1970s and 80s detailing how local children met Santa Claus, received presents, and were treated to live music and slap-up meals aboard the MV Royal Iris.
Thanks to a donation from Mr Payne, and following a competition amongst History Masters students, Mathilda Naulleau was selected to work with the archive and to produce an exhibition - Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime - which will be launched in the SimLab in the university's i3 building in time for Christmas.
Bryce Evans, Professor of Modern World History, said: "This generous bursary and accompanying archive has enabled us to capture an important slice of local history: homegrown philanthropy during a tough period in the city's past. The digital exhibition will also provide Mathilda with an invaluable opportunity to gain experience in curating an exhibition."
Professor Bryce Evans, Professor of Modern World History
Hope graduate publishes book
Adam Beattie, Liverpool Hope Alumni has transformed his lifelong passion for storytelling into a published tribute to one of football’s most influential managers.
After earning an English Language degree in 2016, Adam began his career through the university’s internship programme with Northern Power Women before moving into a series of marketing and content roles. He is currently the Marketing Campaigns Manager for PHOENIX Medical Supplies.
“The ambition to write a book never really left,” he explained, but everyday responsibilities “put it on hold until the pandemic reignited [his] passion.” He soon began contributing both freelance and full-time to Liverpool FC fan site This Is Anfield, a role that honed the storytelling skills now showcased in his debut book.
The new release ‘Jurgen Klopp: Power of the Collective’, offers both personal reflections and journalistic analysis of Klopp’s nine-year tenure at Liverpool. It charts how the charismatic manager “reassembled the broken pieces of a global superpower,” while celebrating the cultural impact of his era.
He credits his time at Liverpool Hope University studying English Language as giving him the confidence to pick up long-form writing again and said ‘there were various modules within the degree that boosted [his] understanding of how to structure [his] work, Stylistics being one of them. In particular, Manel Herat was extremely helpful and always willing to go above and beyond in supporting her students throughout the course.’
The book is available in paperback on Amazon and in hardback through Legends Publishing, just in time for football fans seeking the perfect early Christmas gift.
November 2025
Ambient Receiver
One of our PhD students, Andrew Mears has been editing Ambient Receiver online magazine as part of his PhD research with support from Hope. This magazine had a poem in the "Best Written Poem Prize" which is a huge achievement and act of editorial judgment.
You can access the magazine using this link: Ambient Receiver | Journal of Creative Ecologies
Students head to Chatham House for climate negotiation simulation
We’re thrilled to share that Liverpool Hope University has been selected to take part in this year’s Undergraduate Climate Negotiation Simulation, hosted by BISA and Chatham House on Monday 1st December at Chatham House, London.
Hope will be joining delegates from 46 other universities across the UK in this exciting, hands-on learning experience that brings global climate diplomacy to life. Representing the University this year are Laura Christmas (Level H Conservation Biology and Politics) and Amalie Smith (Level H Politics & International Relations).
Laura and Amalie were chosen through a competitive selection process that looked at their engagement, leadership, academic performance, and statements of interest with input from our Politics and International Relations teaching team.
During the simulation, students will take on the role of UN member states negotiating updates to international climate agreements. Hope’s team will be representing Nigeria, tackling issues like reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate finance, and shared principles for action. This year’s event comes right after Brazil hosts the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, a perfect moment to explore the real-world politics of climate change.
The simulation is led by Professor Mark Webber (University of Birmingham and former BISA President) and offers an incredible opportunity for experiential learning, giving students a real taste of international negotiation and policy-making.
Check out highlights from last year’s event here: Watch the video
A big congratulations to Laura and Amalie from the School of Humanities!
December 2025
October 2025
Senior Lecturer in Modern History Receives Royal Historical Society Fellowship
Dr Jody Crutchley, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, has been a successful recipient of a Jinty Nelson Teaching Fellowship with the Royal Historical Society (RHS) for 2025-26.
The award has been made so that Jody can use the SimLab to create a session for History students concerning settler colonialism. The title of her project ‘Using Interactive LED Wall Technology and VR to Teach the History of Settler Colonialism’ comes with an award of £1,250 for expenses which the University will receive.
The fellowship will support a significant boost to the Unit 28 History REF people, culture and environment statement for REF 2029.
Further details can be found on this website.
Dr Robert Booth Presents New Book Published by Ohio University Press
A couple of pieces of publication news from Philosophy and Ethics.
Firstly, I'm pleased to share that my recent book, Becoming a Place of Unrest: Environmental Crisis and Ecophenomenological Praxis, has just been made available open access by Ohio University Press (so, no more extortionate academic book prices!).
In the book, I argue that the key to mitigating the environmental crisis isn’t just based on science; it depends upon a profound philosophical revision of how we think about and behave in relation to the world. In it, I draw upon an array of philosophical approaches (ecofeminism, new materialism, speculative realism, and - especially - phenomenology) to outline and justify why and how a specifically ecophenomenological praxis may lead to the disruption of the environmental crisis at its root. You can now find out whether I'm right about that, for free on this website.
Published Article on the Virtues of Rewilding
I've also just had an article on the virtues of rewilding published in the latest issue of Environmental Values. In 'Herding Katz: Rewilding, Paradox, and Domination', I focus on Henry David Thoreau's conception of 'the Wild' to argue that, contrary to some influential recent thinking, practical rewilding initiatives might help us to cultivate an anti-domination mindset corrective to our default anthropocentrism. That too is available, for free on this website.
Dr Robert Booth, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics
Dr Manel Herat Hosts Interdisciplinary Conference on Approaches to Migration, Language and Identity and has newly Published Book 'Metalanguage and Identity'
Manel Herat, Senior Lecturer in English Language, hosted the International, Interdisciplinary Conference on Approaches to Migration, Language and Identity from Monday 8th September to Tuesday 9th September 2025. There were participants from different parts of the world including New Zealand, Japan, Sri Lanka, US, Canada and parts of Europe.
There were four invited plenary speakers from different disciplines: Prof. Charlotte Taylor (Professor of Discourse and Persuasion) from the University of Sussex, Prof. Neli Demireva (Professor of Sociology) from the University of Essex, Prof. Francisco Rowe (Professor of Geography and Population Data Science) from the University of Liverpool and Associate Prof. Catalina Montoyo Londono (Associate Prof of International Relations and Peace Studies) Liverpool Hope University.
You can find out further information in the programme.
Manel Herat and Dave Evans have a newly published book in September 2025 entitled: 'Metalanguage and Identity' by Bloomsbury. Further details about the book can be found on this website.
November 2025
Launch of new book on Irish Prime Ministers
LBC journalist Iain Dale launched his edited collection ‘The Taoiseach’ in Dublin this week, the first collection of biographies of all the Irish Prime Ministers since the nation’s independence. Professor Bryce Evans contributed one of the twelve chapters, on Taoiseach Seán Lemass (1959-1966).
MBRG Podcast Series
The Muslims in Britain Research Group (MBRG) is excited to share a new podcast series with its first audio and video podcasts. This series will include interviews with academics who have published works on Muslims in Britain. The purpose is to know the person behind the publications, their academic journey, their reasons for choosing academia, their motivations for researching Muslims in Britain, their perspectives on the past, present, and future of British Muslims, and their views on current political debates related to Muslims.
The first interview in the series features Professor Ron Geaves, former Professor of Comparative Religion at Hope and a current Visiting Professor in Humanities. In this candid interview, Professor Geaves shares his 40 years of experience researching Muslims in Britain, his academic journey, his work at different institutions, his travels, his fascination and experience working on Abdullah Quilliam, who established the first Mosque in Britain in Liverpool in 1887, and his opinions on the current political climate, Islamophobia, and the future of British Muslims.
A reflection on St. John Henry Newman's influence in education and link to Hope
Prof. Stephen Kelly, Head of the School of Humanities and author of A Conservative at Heart? The Political and Social Thought of John Henry Newman (Dublin, 2012), reflects on his subject's recent proclamation as 'Doctor of the Church'.
Read more here.
December 2025
October 2025
Join us for the The Matt Simpson Memorial Poetry Reading 2025
This year the reading is held at the Open Eye Gallery on 30th October 2025, 6pm - 8pm as part of the literary programme organised by Liverpool Poetry Space and The Windows Project.
Influential Liverpool-based poet Deryn Rees-Jones (pictured) will give an extended reading from her new collection, Hôtel Amour.
Tickets are FREE online. All staff and students are welcome.
This is the seventh year of the reading series which Eleanor Rees, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, established to celebrate the poetic culture of Liverpool and remember the Liverpool poet, Matt Simpson.
Dr Eleanor Rees, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing
November 2025
Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime
An Exhibition curated by Mathilda Naulleau from the Ernest Bailey Archive will be taking place as below:
Thursday 20th November at 3:30pm
SimLab, i3 Building (first floor), Hope Park, L16 9JD
Should you wish to attend please RSVP to Professor Bryce Evans via evansb1@hope.ac.uk
Award-winning Podcaster and Hope Alumni coming to talk to Media Students
Mia Thornton, a graduate in English Language at Liverpool Hope and the winner of this year's British Podcast Awards Rising Star, is coming to speak to first-year Media and Communications students on Monday 24th November at 2pm to share her experience in podcasting and give them tips for their own podcasting work. Mia will also meet the Learning and Teaching team after the session to discuss the development of the podcasting facilities in the I3 Building.
December 2025
