The BCU Athena Swan Institutional Bronze Action Plan 2022-2027 included a Priority Theme: COVID RECOVERY, which addresses potential longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on female career progression, research productivity, working practices and wellbeing. In addition to weekly WRITESPACE sessions, actions include the funding of residential writing retreats. Each three-day retreat aims to provide fully funded, protected writing time in a supportive environment for eight BCU female academic staff whose research/writing productivity may have been negatively impacted by the pandemicfor female academics.  Three structured retreats with a set timetable of writing sessions and breaks have taken place (February and June 2023, February 2024) at Chapelgarth Estate, North Yorkshire (https://www.chapelgarth.com). I have co-facilitated with by the Chapelgarth Programme Manager, Dr Marcella Sutcliffe.

In 2023 I obtained ethical approval to conduct a qualitative study on participants’ motivation and experience of attending the retreats, using online questionnaires and focus groups. This study is ongoing.