Loughborough University

Meaningful and evidence-based innovation

Loughborough focused on innovative uses of Spirit’s Knowledge Bank and creative communication tools that were centred around a shared ambition: to make inclusion real, practical, and transformative. One of Loughborough’s most creative this partnership is In the Spirit Wood, a digital learning resource designed for children aged three to five — and the educators, carers, and organisations who support them.

Underpinning considerations and approach

The starting point of the digital learning resource was the Spirit of 2012 Theory of Change and belief that enabling people to participate in a wide range of activities and engaging in their communities will improve perceptions towards disability and impairment.

The creation of the In the Spirit Wood Digital Learning Resource was developed by:

• Establishing a Project Advisory Group
  We brought together a group of community partners and industry experts in digital learning, inclusion, storytelling, and education. This group worked closely with the project team to review, challenge, and guide the development of the resource at key stages.
• Synthesising Existing Evidence
  We conducted a detailed synthesis of Spirit of 2012’s knowledge bank, drawing on insights and evidence from across their programme portfolio. This focused on how different initiatives aimed to deliver the Spirit of 2012’s impact goals related to disability and impairment.
• Developing a Story-Based Interview Methodology
  Using principles of digital storytelling, we designed an interview approach to capture individual ‘moments of change’—personal reflections and shifts in understanding around disability and impairment.
• Exploring Educational Contexts
  We examined a range of educational settings and chose to focus on early years education. This allowed us to test a ‘provotype’ – a prototype designed to provoke feedback – of the learning resource, exploring how storytelling can support inclusive change from the earliest stages of learning.
• Co-Designing the Final Resource
  Working collaboratively with the advisory group, animation specialists, and drawing on the evidence synthesis, we co-designed a set of animations and activity packs. These elements form the In the Spirit Wood Digital Learning Resource.

Looking ahead

In the Spirit Wood is more than a resource – it’s a demonstration of how Spirit of 2012’s evidence and Knowledge Bank can be reimagined through collaboration, creativity, and inclusive design. It shows how complex ideas about perceptions of disability can be expressed through story, and how digital tools can support ethical, child-centred learning. As we look ahead, we invite others to collaborate with us, we want to hear from people if they are keen to explore how storytelling and inclusive practice can be used across different education settings and age-groups. Want to know more, gain practical insights, and ways to be part of the next phase of the project, then get in contact with the project lead Verity Postlethwaite at v.a.postlethwaite@lboro.ac.uk

More about Loughborough University and the core project team

Their team, led by Dr Verity Postlethwaite, is made up of experts from across the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University, who are passionate about centring contributor’s voices and stories in translational research. Loughborough is the world’s Number 1 University for sport and its related disciplines, home to the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport and the Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub (launched Feb 2025). In March 2025, they were appointed as one of UK Sport’s Social Impact Partners. Prior to the Legacy Learning Partnership, Loughborough worked with Counsel on our Feasibility Study for a UK Capital of Sport.

Note: Loughborough University is also the Custodian of Spirit’s archive read more>