Looking Back at Universally Manchester 2025: Bee Curious
News
On Saturday 14 June, we welcomed visitors to our Bee Curious talk programme as part of the Universally Manchester Festival.
If you couldn’t make it, don’t worry, we recorded the talks so you can watch them now.
Out of this World
Dr Eamonn Kerins explored other worlds in Out of this World (and yes, he may also have been dressed as the Jodrell Bank Alien!). We learned how our Sun has eight planets, including Earth but what about the other stars in our Galaxy? Do they have planets too, and could any of them be like Earth? Eamonn shared the latest discoveries about these distant worlds and the possibility that some might host life.
Voice-hearing: Mental illness or Gift from God
Professor Dawn Edge and Reverend Paul Grey led a thought-provoking discussion on the experience of hearing voices that others cannot, an experience often linked to diagnoses such as schizophrenia or other forms of psychosis. However, not all voice-hearing is viewed negatively. The conversation invited the audience to consider whether current approaches in mental healthcare fully embrace diverse perspectives, and what this might mean for delivering truly person-centred support.
Your Brain on Beauty: What Moves You?
We’ve all heard the saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder — but what does that really mean for our brains? In this interactive session Dr Sarah Fox and Dr Henry McPherson combined science and art to explore how our minds respond to the world around us, from the people we meet to the places we visit. They revealed how these everyday experiences shape our feelings and perceptions and guided the audience through activities designed to help them tune in to both their brain and body.
Creativity, Wellbeing and Poetry
Manchester-based poet Rebecca Hurst invited the audience to find joy in the everyday, opening with a reading of Wendy Cope’s much-loved poem The Orange. This collaborative session explored the powerful connections between creativity and wellbeing, showing how poetry can create space for reflection and delight. Rebecca was joined by Charlotte Wetton and Tallula-Rose Quinton who performed their original poems adding fresh and thought-provoking dimensions to the discussion.