End-of-year ‘Brains at the Bevy’ pub lecture explores the wellbeing benefits of making

Delivered by Dr Nick Gant, an award-winning social and sustainable designer and principal lecturer at the University of Brighton School of Art and Media, the talk will explore the growing evidence that making is actually good for our health and wellbeing, particularly when we make together. Whether it’s crafting, building, repairing or designing, shared creative activity has been shown to reduce stress, strengthen social connections and give people a renewed sense of purpose.

As the last installation of the university’s popular ‘Brains at the Bevy’ series for the year, the interactive pub lecture will include a practical session where audiences get creative themselves, by taking part in a festive Christmas card-making activity.

Scheduled for 6pm on Wednesday 3 December at the Bevy Community Pub, the lecture will take audiences inside a range of Brighton-led projects where making has helped people thrive, and explore the concept of Makerspaces – the community-led physical spaces where people with shared interests gather to create, learn, and build projects.

Dr Nick Gant

Previous makerspace projects involving Brighton academics have included a community space for making visions and models the future of the city, garden sheds for making a sustainable garden with care home residents, a community maker-space for recycling waste into new businesses for women in South Africa and making Sussex chairs in the woods ex-offenders.

Now, through this Brains at the Bevy talk, the experience of craft, design and shared making, is coming to the pub which has been found by recent studies to be one of the top places outside the home to connect with people in the UK.

Dr Nick Gant, who is also co-director of the university’s Centre for Arts and Wellbeing said: “Making is something humans have done for thousands of years, yet we’re only now beginning to understand just how important it is for our wellbeing. Whether it’s crafting, building, repairing or designing, the act of making allows us to express ourselves, connect with others and experience a sense of purpose. 

“When we make together, those benefits multiply, we see confidence grow, conversations flow and communities strengthen in meaningful ways. Through projects across Brighton, from care homes to woodlands to digital maker spaces, we’ve seen how creative activity can support people through loneliness, recovery, and major life transitions.

"This event at the Bevy is a chance to share those stories, explore the evidence behind them, and most importantly, give people an opportunity to experience the joy of making for themselves, festive cards and all.”

The ‘Brains at the Bevy’ series is part of the university’s long-standing commitment to sharing research in accessible, community-centred spaces. 

Hosted at The Bevy, the UK’s only community-owned estate pub, the series brings academics and local residents together to explore ideas that matter to everyday life.

This final session of the year continues that mission, offering a relaxed, creative environment where people can learn, connect and try something new alongside friends, neighbours and university experts.

The event is free and open to everyone, with all materials provided. Doors open at 5.45pm for a 6pm start at the Bevy Community Pub, Hillside, Brighton. Book your place for free and join us for an evening of creativity, discussion and festive cheer!