The inaugural Hummingbird Project Conference took place on 11 July 2025 at the University of Greater Manchester, drawing around 100 delegates from education, healthcare, academia, and the voluntary sector. The event celebrated the growing impact of the Hummingbird Project, a six-week Positive Psychology programme delivered by children’s charity MedEquip4Kids to support pupil wellbeing in North West schools.
Chaired by Professor Jerome Carson, the conference featured a rich mix of research, personal reflections, and future vision. Catherine North opened with the story behind the project’s creation, born from a desire to prevent mental health issues before they reach crisis point. Ian Platt outlined the project’s rapid growth, having now reached over 8,600 pupils, and presented plans for expansion and digital resources such as Bounce Back for families.
Mental health practitioner Ifthakar Khaliq introduced Aiding Minds, a school-wide screening system to identify emotional needs early, complementing the Hummingbird model. Claudine McFaul spoke of co-creating the primary programme with children, empowering them as change-makers both at school and at home.
Researcher Ana-Cristina Tuluceanu presented her EAGLES programme, showing how early, positive intervention in schools can help prevent youth crime. Sonia Ebenezer-Bamigbayan shared her work on adapting Hummingbird for special schools, with input from her daughter Ayo, whose experience volunteering illustrated the personal growth that wellbeing work can foster.
The day also included insights from Kati-Anne Roughley, a headteacher whose pupils had been visibly impacted by the project; Dr Kevin Hochard, who brilliantly explained the science behind evaluating mental health interventions; and Sarah Hobson, who shared heartfelt feedback from pupils at St Bede Academy. The conference closed with an inspiring keynote from Dr Michelle Tytherleigh on Positive Education, the philosophy underpinning Hummingbird, and its inclusive potential.
Final remarks from Cllr David Chadwick, The Mayor of Bolton, and Dr Ghazala Baig (CEO of MedEquip4Kids), and acknowledgements to contributors rounded off a day of learning, inspiration, and hope for the future of school mental health.
A longer article with full details of the presentations is available here.
All images are by Adrian Greenhalgh at the University of Greater Manchester.
