Annual Report 2024–25

We connect people with culture and knowledge through exhibitions, events and partnerships. 

Welcoming students, staff and communities 

The Brotherton Research Centre welcomes research visitors to engage with our cultural collections. 

• 1,011 visits 
• 5,294 items consulted 
• 36 engagement events 

More students now have hands-on access to unique artefacts through taught sessions that use our internationally important cultural collections, providing a powerful learning experience. 

• 161 teaching sessions facilitated (up 32% from 122 last year) 
• over 1,900 student visits 
• over 75% students had no previous experience of using archives 
• 100% of tutors would book sessions again 

We’ve also simplified our online booking process to make it easier for lecturers to state their preferences for teaching sessions. 

Engaging with migrant communities 

Our Welcoming Migrants project strengthened civic engagement and made a significant contribution to the successful University of Sanctuary appraisal. 

Welcoming Migrants is a collaborative programme with local communities who have experience of migration. We offer regular creative workshops and conversation activities, working in partnership with local refugee and asylum seeker charities. 

Torah scrolls event 

As part of the Learning from Yorkshire's Holocaust Torah Scrolls Project, we welcomed 40 people, many from five Yorkshire Jewish communities. The event facilitated meaningful knowledge exchange about the history, religious value and community use of scrolls including one on loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. 

Galleries exhibitions animate visitors 

24,970 public and University visitors welcomed to our Galleries: 

• The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery: 15,475 
• The Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery: 9,495.

The Animated Activism: Women Empowered exhibition drew record audiences and media coverage. It explored the histories of Women’s Aid Federation of England (WAFE) and Leeds Animation Workshop (LAW). The interdisciplinary relevance of the exhibition created a strong demand for student tours from University and external tutors. 

257 people attended the launch event.

Two other exhibitions were curated in the Galleries: 

• SICK (a note from 40 Sandilands Road and other stories) was an immersive installation by the artist Sarah Roberts 
• SICK TOO presented a selection of materials that informed Sarah’s artistic practice, alongside her own reflections on their significance. 

Missed Call 

We created a micro funded opportunity to engage students with our collections, foster co-creation and link archival feminist campaigns to current activism. 

We commissioned the SASHA (Students Against Sexual Harassment & Assault) society to produce an animated response to the Animated Activism: Women Empowered exhibition. The animation explores sexual violence statistics and activism. It will be integrated into SASHA’s Consent and Active Bystander training, supported by the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund. 

The project: 

• strengthened student engagement and awareness through social media and events 
• inspired creation of a SASHA activist archive in our University Archive 
• contributed to University’s civic role and sexual violence prevention strategy.