Meet Jeanne…
Our co-researcher and originator of Tabletop Travels! This experience is rooted in lived experience and co-design principles and it was Jeanne who came up with the idea for a curated gift box as part of the ESRC-funded project, Connecting Through Culture As We Age at the very beginning of our journey in 2021.
Jeanne lives alone in Bristol with chronic health problems and can no longer travel but this hasn’t dimmed her passion for life and for exploration. Jeanne brings a unique perspective to project. Through her participation in CTCAWA she saw the need for a way to travel from home and the idea was born!
Introducing Dr Tot Foster (our Project Lead) and how TTT developed…
Tot has been leading the project since its inception in 2021 and is the co-designer alongside Jeanne. She has extensive experience in co-design and co-research with minoritised groups including older adults, and as part of her PhD developed an innovative process for phone-based filmaking in charities.
Tot has been instumental in securing the funding needed to bring TableTop Travels to life. Firstly with CTCAWA then with the initial round of Zinc Catalyst Funding in 2023, enabling development of a new and scalable TTT product and prototypes. Here we focussed on the importance of food and personal storytelling, developed a Naples concept and explored the use of media with Stand & Stare.
Having seen the clear value of the project, Tot was able to secure further funding in Sept 2024 to allow us to build Tabletop Travels into the social enterprise it is today, alongside more crucial development of the box and securing partnerships with charities who act as our distubtors.
Dr Helen Manchester, whose world-class research gave rise to Tabletop Travels and inspires us today…
Helen is known internationally for her participtory, co-design research projects with older people, community and cultural organisations. She is currently Futures Studio lead for the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures and Professor of Participatory Sociodigital Futures at University of Bristol. Helen has published and presented widely in co-design and in isolation loneliness research.
Helen has been involed throughout and its from this academic foundation that the project has grown. Her research, which continues to guide the design of each box, has shown that activities which encourage older adults to actively smell, taste, look, listen and touch can evoke stories and memories which enhance new connections and build new relationships. It also highlighted that while travel and getting out of the house is increasingly difficult as we age, the desire to experience the world does not necessarily diminish.
Our partners who have supported us throughout…
Tabletop Travels is the result of extensive collaboration and support from partners organisations, each of who bring a wealth of skill and knowledge. Two notable partners from inception are Alive Activities and Stand & Stare who work in creative agencies ageing and design respectively. It was Stand & Stare who helped us understand how to enhance the experience through digital media using QR codes.
As a Social Enterprise our funding to date mainly comes from UKRI who came on board firstly in September 2023 and then again in September 2024 as a result of efforts to fund projects aimed at healthy aging. As part of these funding rounds, we joined the Zinc Catalyst Programme! Zinc exist to scale ways to solve the world’s most pressing social issues and thier commercial experience, wider connections and all round guidance has been invaluable in helping us to shape the way we build Tabletop Travels for the future.
Bringing us up to date, our team has grown to three…
Including Tot, our core team now comprises of three people! Our second round of funding allowed for us to expand the team with the aim of working with corporate partners who share our vision and values. We’re happy to report that Gary Shaw and Emily Roberts joined Tot in April 2025.
Emily brings extensive experience working with disadvantaged children at Banardos and had been a whizz at making sure Tabletop Tables is securely established as a not for profit company. Gary brings the corporate background and has helped shape up our commerical approach as we start the next part of our journey. But that’s not the end…
Is you! Do you share our mission and values? Can you help us further our work and partner with us to tackle loneliness and isolation in older adults?
If you’re a company looking to make a meaningful impact to the communities you work within today, speak to us first, email us:
contact@tabletoptravels.co.uk
The missing part of our story…