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12 June 2025
On Wednesday 4 June, the LARP Network gathered in York for their second national in-person event.
On Wednesday 4 June, the LARP Network gathered in York for their second national in-person event.
Stepping away from Microsoft Teams and engaging face-to-face allowed members to enjoy casual, spontaneous conversations, deep dive into discussions, and share meaningful moments.
The aim of the day was to maximise connections, foster a sense of belonging and to ensure an approachable, stress-free environment - recognising that networking isn’t always easy.
In total 31 LARPs (including 5 so new they haven’t even started their roles yet), 6 Public Health Engagement Leads, 8 LARP colleagues and line managers and 10 colleagues from the NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health (SCPH) attended.
Mac Emmerson, Research Programme Manager at NIHR RSS SCPH said: “To see the day come together, and further build on the success of our first event, was incredible. I am proud to work closely with the LARP Network and am excited to watch the network go from strength to strength as we begin planning for our winter event and continue to welcome more LARPs into the network.”
Mac Emmerson, Research Programme Manager at NIHR RSS SCPH said: “To see the day come together, and further build on the success of our first event, was incredible. I am proud to work closely with the LARP Network and am excited to watch the network go from strength to strength as we begin planning for our winter event and continue to welcome more LARPs into the network.”
Highlights from the day included the round robin activity, where each table explored different ways to uncover the extent of research happening across a council—special thanks to Claire Batey, Liz Cox, Liz Harper, Lorna Leaston, Lula Mecinska, and Paige Hurlstone for sharing their insights. In the afternoon, the ‘stretch’ activity challenged LARPs and line managers to time travel to the future and consider what success looks like from the perspective of someone their work has impacted. Each group in the room identified different individuals affected by their work, showcasing the wide-ranging and ambitious nature of the LARP role.
Other highlights included learning about how the research design advice team can support LARP work, and the flea story memory test which sparked plenty of enthusiasm!
The next LARP event will be hosted in London on Wednesday 3 December 2025. A committee of LARPs are designing the programme.
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