The British Psychological Society
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    • A representation of Psyche, taken from the BPS logo

    North West of England

    The North West is an exciting part of the UK, with lots going on and lots to offer psychologists living and working within the region. If you are a member of the BPS and are based within the north west region, you are automatically a member of our Branch.

    About

    We are a long-established Branch, involving a committee - elected yearly - and its membership, which consists of all BPS members in the north west of England.

    The purpose of the Branch is to bring together psychologists and students of different fields from around this geographical region.

    To fulfil our mission, our activities include:

    • Discussing and contributing to BPS matters and other psychology-relevant topics 
    • Organising and running events of broad interest in our membership, including conferences and workshops 
    • Organising careers events for students and other outreach activities 
    • Organising informal events that provide social networking opportunities cutting across the fields of psychology 
    • Organising public engagement events 
    • Supporting other events relevant to our membership that are held in our region 

    If you are a BPS Branch member with ideas of what kind of events you would like, or if you are a related interest group in the region who'd like to make links with us, then we would very much like to hear from you!

    You can contact us directly at [email protected] and keep up to date with ongoing developments and upcoming events using our Facebook and Twitter pages.

    Not only does the Branch exist for you, but it is also effectively run by you. That is, events only happen because there are good people putting themselves forward, along with their effort and expertise, to organise relevant events, run them, and/or speak at them.

    If you have any ideas for events and other activities, or you would be open to be invited as a guest speaker or otherwise contribute your expertise, then we would love to hear from you.

    Aim

    Our central aim is to promote psychology and the British Psychological Society to both psychologists and non-psychologists in our Region, the North West (NW) of England.

    The Branch is run by the Committee and all BPS members whose addresses cover the NW area are automatically members of the Branch.

    The Committee presently includes a range of practitioner and academic psychologists and students from diverse fields and with a range of specialisms and from different parts of the NW all bound together by our common location and our wish to fulfil our mission statement aims. We are able to do this as Committee members volunteer to give up their time and by holding six ordinary meetings throughout the year and by organising and assisting at various events. We also produce a newsletter, which is called The Update and maintain close links with the BPS (keeping updated with Society business) and the other Branches (via the Branches Forum).

    We are a very active region and most of our activities involve organising events in the local vicinity. The range of backgrounds of our Committee members is not only enriching for the Committee members themselves but also means that we can put on a diverse range of events to suit a variety of interests and levels. Recent events include an occupational psychology day, forensic psychology conference, a neurolinguistic programming conference. and our series Psychology for Non-Psychologists. Some of these events are organised in collaboration with other organisations. We also arrange our very popular careers events aimed at sixth formers and undergraduates.

    In keeping with our stated aims, we place much emphasis on promoting psychology and the BPS to students and this is reflected at all levels. Committee members have made regular careers visits to local schools, and we also maintain close links with PsyPAG (Psychology Postgraduate Affairs Group) by having a representative on the Committee. 

    Another focus has been on our strong attempt to reach out to all of the region and to encourage more members on to the Committee from all corners of the North West.

    Each year, usually in October, we hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) (where members are invited to put themselves forward for nomination on to the Committee) which also includes a stimulating guest lecture and lovely buffet supper. All members are welcome.

    Mission Statement

    The overall mission of the North of England Branch of the British Psychological Society is to promote psychology and the British Psychological Society within the region to both psychologists and non-psychologists.

    This will include the following items:

    • Actively creating and using opportunities to interact with both psychologists and non-psychologists, and the media, and to develop and increase their understanding of psychology and its relevance.
    • To encourage those considering a career in psychology to take advantage of the benefits of qualifications and a career in psychology.
    • Seek to increase membership of the BPS.
    • Organise events and other activities on topics of importance for the career and professional development of psychologists, focusing on topics of common interest to different divisions/sections, and help to facilitate communication across divisions/sections boundaries on matters of common concern.
    • It may sometimes be in keeping with our mission to organise events of a specialist scientific nature. The aim of these events will be to facilitate communication between North of England Branch members, and aid scientific and professional development.
    • Facilitate and encourage communication between Branch members.
    • Regularly and systematically assess and respond to the wishes of Branch members.
    North West of England Branch

    News

    North West of England Branch

    Events

    North West of England Branch

    Guidelines

    North West Undergraduate Dissertation Prize

    This prize is awarded for the best undergraduate dissertation at each BPS-accredited North West University.

    The British Psychological Society North West Branch is delighted to introduce its undergraduate dissertation prize in the region, offering 13 awards of £100 each.

    Eligible universities:

    • Lancaster University 
    • University of Manchester 
    • University of Chester 
    • Edge Hill University 
    • Manchester Metropolitan University 
    • Liverpool John Moore
    • University of Salford 
    • Liverpool Hope University 
    • University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)
    • The Open University (students placed in Region 8 - and Carlisle area only within Region 9 - for their studies)
    • University of Bolton
    • University of Cumbria

    Each university nominates its best undergraduate dissertation, and each winner is awarded a monetary prize of £100. 

    Winners are invited to write a 1500-word summary article which will be published in the annual publication, the BPS Branch Awards.

    The summary of your dissertation will be published in our BPS Branch Awards publication. Every article has a unique DOI (Digital Object Identifier) meaning their abstracts can be discoverable via Google Scholar.

    Authors also have retained rights for their articles including green open access, so they can post their own articles to online repositories.

    The Board of Examiners at each University will decide on the dissertation submitted to the North West Branch.

    How to apply

    Only eligible University Psychology Departments will nominate students to the BPS North West.

    Please note: Nominees (students) can not apply for this prize directly through the BPS North West.

    If you consider yourself eligible to be nominated for this Prize and have not been please contact  [email protected].

    Deadlines:

    • 21 June: deadline for universities to submit nominations.
    • 30 June: North West Branch will email successful nominees asking if they wish to submit a 1,500-word shortened dissertation for publication in BPS Branch Awards
    • 23 August: deadline for submission of shortened dissertations (if applicable)
    • 15 September: nominees receive initial feedback on their submissions.
    • 30 September: Re-submission deadline.
    • 31 October: North West Branch will issue the prizes.  Please note that we will not accept any submissions after this date

    Resources

    Podcasts

    Our NWPsychTalk podcast is designed to inform and make current issues in psychology accessible to both practitioners and the general public alike.

    Conference and Event Bursaries

    Conference bursaries are available to support members of the BPS North West Branch to attend (physically or virtually) any academic or practitioner conference or CPD event relevant to the applicants work.

    Criteria (please read before submitting your application)

    • Each bursary consists of up to £500 to contribute towards the costs of registration and/or travel (if applicable). Please note: that there will be 3 bursaries available only.
    • All applicants must be members or student subscribers of the British Psychological Society within North West
    • All applicants must agreement to provide receipts for all relevant expenditure to the Branch treasurer
    • Applications must make a strong case for need and the benefits of attendance
    • It is expected that applicants will not apply more than once each year

    Application requirements (please read before submitting your application)

    Applicants will be required to provide:

    1. Name
    2. Organisation/affiliation
    3. BPS membership number
    4. Details of the conference that the applicant wishes to attend, including title of event, date(s) and registration costs
    5. A statement of not more than 150 words providing a brief explanation of why a bursary is needed (e.g., because a postgraduate student is not funded by a research council or their institution), why the applicant should be awarded a bursary, and how she or he will benefit from attending the conference

    All successful applicants will be requested to submit a 500-word blog style summary of the event attended suitable for publication in the North West Branch newsletter.

    How to apply

    Applications are now open.

    Submissions must be received by 30 June 2024.

    Submit an application for a conference or event bursary

    Submissions will be reviewed by a sub-panel of the North West Branch committee members.

    Committee

    Chair(s): Lorna Mills and Clare Mulligan-Foster (September 2023 – September 2025)

    Appointed Members:

    • Mia Pal / Jimmy Petruzzi (Chair: November 2021 – September 2023. Past Chair: September 2023 – September 2024)
    • Jon Coldwell (Treasurer: January 2023 – September 2025)
    • Andrea Stein (Secretary: September 2023 – September 2026)
    • Emma Hancock (September 2023 – September 2026)
    • Stephen Stradling (September 2023 – September 2026)
    • Caldun Harris (September 2023 – September 2026)
    • Ting Shu Tse (June 2024 – June 2027)
    • Sam Padmore (June 2024 – June 2027)
    • Megan Boyd  (June 2024 – June 2027)
    • Helle  Hammonds (June 2024 – June 2027)
    • Gareth Bilton (July 2024 – June 2027)

    Student Ambassador Lead: Ruby Rainbow (February 2023 – September 2026)

    PsyPAG link: Danielle Mountain (August 2022 – September 2025)

    Join

    When you join the BPS you are automatically made a member of your local branch.

    The North West of England Branch covers the following areas/postcodes:

    • Blackburn (BB)
    • Bolton (BL)
    • Carlisle (CA)
    • Chester (CH1-CH4)
    • Crewe (CW)
    • Blackpool (FY)
    • Isle of Man (IM)
    • Liverpool (L1-L99)
    • Lancaster (LA)
    • Manchester (M1-M99)
    • Oldham (OL)
    • Preston (PR)
    • Stockport (SK)
    • Warrington (WA)
    • Wigan (WN)

    Member e-newsletter

    The North West of England Branch uses its e-newsletter to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues.

    To receive this you will need to:

    1. become a member of the North West of England Branch
    2. check your email preferences that you have opted into receiving emails
    3. ensure that your email address is correct

    You can check your preferences by logging into your member portal.

    If you have any queries, please contact Member Network support - North West Branch.

    Getting involved with the North West of England Branch Committee

    The North West of England Branch relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Branch is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.

    Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or in-training members, and together form an open and inclusive community.

    Keep an eye on our "News" tab for more information on when and how to apply to join the committee.