More than 70 guests gathered at Hartpury University and Hartpury College on 12 February for a special Reflective Futures event that marked the successful launch of The Ruh Collective, a not-for-profit movement created by individuals from the Muslim community.
The event brought together representatives from NHS England, Gloucestershire County Council, Active Gloucestershire, Barnwood Trust, Cardiff University, Gloucestershire Police and a wide range of other community organisations, alongside local residents.
The Ruh Collective is a not-for-profit movement created by individuals from the Muslim community, bringing together diverse minds and experiences who care deeply about communities and the stories that shape them. Its mission centres on storytelling, representation and meaningful engagement to improve understanding, wellbeing and opportunity.
Reflective Futures is a UKRI-funded participatory research project that brings together researchers, students and community members to explore health, sport and exercise participation through lived experience and co-produced research.
By combining academic expertise with community leadership, the partnership aims to improve understand barriers and opportunities around physical activity, support culturally informed health and wellbeing initiatives, and build trust between institutions and the Muslim community.
The event also featured the premiere of the fourth film in the Unreflected Reflections series called Nourishing Souls, a powerful exploration of health, sport and exercise experiences within the Gloucestershire Muslim community. The screening prompted heartfelt discussion and conversations that continued long after the formal programme concluded, underlining the importance of storytelling as a catalyst for change.
Dr Linda Greening (Head of Inclusivity at Hartpury University and College) introduced the context of the project, reflecting on Hartpury’s history of hosting previous film screenings and delivering bespoke outreach sessions for young people linked to St James City Farm and the Friendship Café.
A special moment of recognition came as Imran Atcha, a pioneer in establishing the partnership between St James City Farm and Hartpury, received a round of applause for his foundational work in building bridges between communities and institutions.
Postgraduate students Sanaa Vahed and Aatiqah Patel shared the personal journeys that led them to enrol on Hartpury University’s MRes Sport and Exercise Science and engage with Reflective Futures. Their contributions demonstrated how the collaboration is developing future researchers equipped to work alongside communities in meaningful ways.
Dr Linda Greening said: “The Reflective Futures project evidences growing trust and mutual respect between Hartpury University and organisations that now include The Ruh Collective as a formal partner in this research. The students who enrolled to undertake the project should be incredibly proud of their contributions today and I look forward to working with them in a supervisory role to create meaningful and actionable insights for the community. Hartpury was incredibly proud to be invited to host the premiere of the fourth film in the series, especially during our Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Celebration Month.”
Ismail Kholwadia, Founder of Unreflected Reflections and Co-Founder of The Ruh Collective, added: “It was an incredible event, engaging presentations, heartfelt personal stories, and meaningful conversations that continued long after we finished. Hartpury University and The Ruh Collective clearly left a lasting impression; someone even asked if they could do their PhD at Hartpury. The wrap-around support, catering, and dedication from everyone involved were faultless. I’m especially glad the film resonated, despite being on such a tight timescale. Stories are powerful, and short films remain one of the most impactful ways to communicate this work.”
While rooted locally in Gloucestershire, the ambition is broader: to develop a model of participatory, culturally responsive research that other institutions can learn from.
What began as a collaborative conversation has evolved into a formal movement and a research partnership with clear purpose, strengthening health, wellbeing and opportunity for the Gloucestershire Muslim community and beyond.
