The Centre for Culture, Sport and Events (CCSE) has developed from a collaborative partnership between the University of the West of Scotland and Renfrewshire Council. CCSE will provide a space to undertake collaborative research and development work that has relevance for the Renfrewshire area, nationally and internationally.

The Centre has been set up to conduct research, development, consultancy and knowledge exchange aligned to four key themes:

place-focused cultural regeneration



arts, cultural diplomacy, and soft power



sport, cultural events and festivals



media, communication and digital cultures.

Current Blogs and Tweets

The Olympic Games as a Weak Excuse

by Solomon Ilevbare | Audience, Community, COVID19, Culture, Events, Place, Power, Research profile, Sport, Uncategorised

The Aim of my research as a PhD student over the last two and half years has been to examine how the Japanese and Tokyo governments, through sports diplomacy, will use the Olympic Games as a soft power tool. The phrase ‘the Olympic Games as a Weak excuse’ stems from...

A Second Summer of COVID, Nearing (New) Normality?

by Sophie Mamattah | Audience, COVID19, Culture, Events, Place, Public Space, Sport, Theatre, Uncategorised

For a few months now the summer sun – punctuated with episodes of deluging rain – has provided the backdrop for the continued gradual reopening of our social, sporting and cultural venues. In turn, these developments have presented us with the opportunity to begin...

Football is Nothing Without Fans – Football, Theatre & COVID19

by Henry Bell | Art, Arts, Audience, Community, COVID19, Culture, Events, Performance, Place, Power, Public Space, Research profile, Sport, Theatre, Theatre in the Round, Uncategorised

Football is Nothing Without Fans – Matt Busby Bellshill’s finest football thinker, Matt Busby, predicted the uncanny experience of people watching cultural and sporting events take place in empty spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m currently writing a book about...

‘Au revoir’ FESTSPACE & CCSE (But Hopefully Not An ‘Adieu’!)

by Séverin Guillard | COVID19, Culture, Digital, Events, FESTSPACE, Learning, Place, Power, Public Space, Publications, Research profile, Skills, Uncategorised

This Thursday, I complete my last day at UWS before I move back to France to start a permanent job as a Lecturer in Geography at the University of Amiens. As I have been a member of CCSE over the last two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow on the FESTSPACE project, I...

The Future of Events – A New CPD Programme for Event Practitioners

by Jenny Flinn | Audience, Community, COVID19, Culture, Digital, Events, Learning, Research profile, Resources, Uncategorised

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes to the way we live our lives and interact with others. This was only too evident with national lockdowns putting an end to all but essential contact in early 2020. Being reliant on social contact and...

Recovery, Repair, Renewal: Conference Video

by Centre for Culture Sports & Events | Art, Arts, City of Culture, Community, COVID19, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Regeneration, Culture, Digital, Events, Lonliness, Place, Public Space, Renfrewshire, Uncategorised

At the beginning of June, CCSE had the perhaps slightly unexpected pleasure of one again hosting our annual conference virtually. As CCSE Director – Prof Gayle McPherson – pointed out in her opening remarks; at the time of our first virtual outing in May last year,...

Looking to the Future!…

by Lil Brookes | Art, Artist, Artist Development Grant, Arts, Community, COVID19, Culture, Uncategorised

Over the past five years I’ve been in business as Gatekeeper Art. My small creative business is my full time occupation and when asked what I do I usually term myself as an artist and social historian with a community practice. I wrote a blog recently for CCSE called...

Big Questions & Resourceful Answers: V&A Dundee’s Covid 19 Response

by Joanna Mawdsley | Art, Arts, Audience, Community, COVID19, Culture, Events, Learning, Public Space, Research profile, Resources, Uncategorised

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns, many museums developed and put in place online digital offerings. This prompted quite a lot of handwringing and self-reflection across the sector, as well as for me personally. I immediately felt slightly...

Illuminating a Dark Theatre: Arts, Community, COVID19, Theatre, Cultural Heritage, Culture, Digital

by Len McCaffer | Art, Community, COVID19, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Regeneration, Culture, Performance, Public Space, Research profile, Theatre, Uncategorised

On September 1939, at the start of the start of World War II, the government ordered the closure of all theatres throughout Britain, fearing that large congregations of people would be susceptible to aerial bombardment. It was quickly realised that theatres were...

Recovery, Repair & Renewal: The role of arts and culture in the future of urban places

by Centre for Culture Sports & Events | Art, Arts, City of Culture, Community, COVID19, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Regeneration, Culture, Digital, Events, Place, Power, Public Space, Renfrewshire, Uncategorised

The Centre for Culture, Sport & Events is delighted to invite you to our virtual annual conference. The event ‘Recovery, Repair & Renewal: The role of arts and culture in the future of urban places’ will take place on Wednesday 9th June 2021. The Centre for...

« Older Entries

Tweets by CCSE_UWS

The Centre will build on the University’s local, national and international expertise in these areas, bringing a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to its research enquiries into policy and practice, advancing the production of new knowledge.

Research evidence produced through the Centre will contribute to academic excellence and influence policy makers and practitioners working in culture, sport and events and social policy and change.