A workshop updating Matt’s Ph.D. work with Paddlers for Life, Windermere

A group of members met with Matt for a workshop following the fitness session on Sunday 9th. March.

Paddlers meet with Matt to review the findings of his research.

In 2011 Matt completed work for his Ph.D. in which he explored how the location in
which we paddle interacts with our paddling activities and how our feelings, thoughts
and wellbeing are influenced by the landscape and surroundings.

Matt updated paddlers about his research including some who had taken part and others who were new to the research.
Matt explained the qualitative nature of his project acknowledging that his presence in the group had an effect on the research itself.  Matt had broken down the overview of his thesis into five main categories and some were discussed at length. For individuals who had not been part of Matt’s research the concepts of the impact of geography on the experiences of Paddlers for Life, and the rhythms of breast cancer dragon boating were explored.

The research focused on the importance of the aesthetics of the landscape, and also how ‘being within and acting within the landscape’ effected us. The relation between people and ‘place’ and how we form relationships with ‘place’, was fundamental to Matt’s work.

During Matt’s research some members of PFL were involved in writing workshops and produced a series of postcards which featured member photos and haiku poems. We were also inspired to get involved in recording our memories in scrapbooks – beginning with our participation in the Celebration of Life in Peterborough, Canada in 2010 and more recently a scrapbook for the Jubilee Flotilla.

montage of postcards with haiku poems produced in conjunction with Matt’s Ph.D research.

We all enjoyed Matt’s discussions and of course we had lots of catching up to do (and cake to eat!). We ended by Matt agreeing to send us a copy of his thesis for our comments and then discussing how we move forward after his research.

As a thank you, he was presented with a Paddlers for Life Latte Mug emblazoned with our logo and filled with Jelly Babies.