My time at LifeLab – 15 years ago!

In 2009, as a year 9 student at Redbridge Community School, Gemma Clarke was one of the very first students to attend a LifeLab session. Fifteen years later, a chance meeting with LifeLab manager Professor Kath Woods-Townsend caused her to reflect on the programme’s influence on her life.

Experiencing our pop-up labs

More than 16,000 young people from Southampton and surrounding areas have now experienced LifeLab. Before our bespoke facility in the heart of University Hospital Southampton (UHS) was opened in 2014 by HRH the Countess of Edinburgh, the programme was held in ‘pop-up’ labs.

These were either at the University of Southampton’s Highfield Campus (the Maths and Science Learning Centre), in the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility at UHS, or in the Institute of Developmental Sciences labs and at the Princess Anne Hospital.

Gemma attended a pilot session, to establish whether the concept would be beneficial to young people and feasible in a laboratory setting. Alongside a group of her classmates, Gemma took part in various experiments looking at the body, including grip strength and DNA sequencing.

Inspiring a health-related career

Gemma now works at Health Innovation Wessex, a regional organisation established by NHS England to spread innovation in health and care. One of the projects she is currently supporting is looking at ways to improve the health of younger people.

It was at a workshop event for Children and Young People’s Healthy Weight, where she met Kath and found out what had been happening at LifeLab. She says what she remembers of her LifeLab trip, and how it continues to play a role in her life now.

“I remember the students chosen to do LifeLab thought it was pretty cool to be able to go to the University/Hospital and take part in the programme,” Gemma explained.

“Only a small group of students were chosen to attend, so we thought being part of the select few was pretty special. We were excited to be part of something that the University ran and to be in a different place, on a university campus, was very fun compared to our usual school lessons.

“But that’s what’s so good about the programme now – all young people get to attend. Everyone has the opportunity to benefit from what it is trying to achieve.”

Gemma has spent time working in the NHS. In her last role, she supported an NHS England initiative setting up and overseeing clinics for Children with Complications Related to Excess Weight.

Empowering students

“LifeLab has the power to help so many people,” said Gemma. “Of course, the students who attend the sessions and experience the curriculum are the first people to benefit. But more broadly, their family and friends will also benefit from the messages they take away from the experience. It empowers them to make real changes in their life.

“When I was in school, I probably didn’t fully appreciate what I was taking in, but now I am a mother and have my own family, I use those lessons now and want my daughter to benefit too. I don’t want her to grow up and face the same challenges we did.

“I’m so grateful LifeLab is still going. It's fantastic to see how it’s expanded into primary schools and is connecting with older teenagers through the Young Researcher Training Programme. Long may it continue.”