About the SPACES project

Welcome to our research project website. 

The project started on 1st October 2024 and will last for 15 months.

Research team: Emma Davies, Jennifer Seddon, Fiona Matley, Abi Rose, and Eila Watson.

Alcohol consumption among mid-life women aged 40-65 is a growing concern in the UK, with one in five now drinking at levels that increase health harms. Existing research on the motives for drinking and not drinking in mid-life women is limited. Building upon our previous research funded by the Brookes Healthy Ageing and Care Network and the charity Prevent Breast Cancer, our project will develop a novel intervention called SPACES (Storytelling Promoting Alcohol Choice, Empowerment, and Sharing). Societal stigma and fear of judgement often hinder women from seeking support for alcohol issues. The SPACES intervention aims to address these challenges by integrating storytelling techniques with behaviour change strategies tailored to mid-life women. Storytelling is a powerful means of communication that resonates with this demographic, offering a non-judgemental and relatable approach to addressing alcohol consumption. Our project involves collaboration and co-production with a public advisory group of mid-life women. We are working with project partners including Alcohol Change UK, Club Soda, Soberistas, and the Institute of Alcohol Studies.

You can explore some of the stories from our previous project here or listen to stories from some of our previous research participants here.