Award-winning Women and Asthma project to conclude with Clean Air Day exhibition in Tower Hamlets
“We all know how women’s health is underrepresented and is not taken seriously. So being able to be advocates, have that knowledge ourselves now, and join in conversations is empowering.”
– Lived Experience participant
Women are more likely to have asthma, have more severe symptoms and are twice as likely to die of an asthma attack than men.
In response to this grave – and gravely under-reported – health inequality, a group of researchers at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) embarked on the Women and Asthma project. Funded by the Wellcome Trust, this project sought to shine a light on the complex lived experiences of women with asthma through craft and creative storytelling.
By bringing public engagement and biological research together, Women and Asthma has given women who live with the condition a chance to share their stories; researchers the opportunity to learn more about how asthma affects people’s daily lives; and the public a rare insight into what living with asthma is really like.
The Women and Asthma team were recently selected as winners of The Achievement Award as part of The President’s Awards for Excellence in Societal Engagement. President Hugh Brady said of their work, “We recognise that the Women and Asthma project delivered bespoke engagement that addresses a well-documented health inequity. The team demonstrated substantial, sustained commitment across many roles, underpinned by deep and meaningful collaboration.”
The project began with the Makers Exchange, a programme of creative workshops in three communities across the UK, delivered in partnership with local community craft organisations: The Sewing Rooms in Skelmersdale, Craftspace in Birmingham, and Stitches in Time in Tower Hamlets. These workshops were then developed into Stories of Breath, a multi-sensory immersive installation created by creatives, researchers, and women with asthma, which was exhibited in each of the above locations in September 2025.
Stories of Breath will be presented for the final time in London for Clean Air Day on Thursday 18 June as part of We Weave Air by What’s the Matter? Festival. It is open to all, and many of those who have participated in the Women and Asthma project will be in attendance. The exhibition will be open as a drop-in from 10.00-16.00 at Tower Hamlets Town Hall. It is also available to view as a digital experience on the Women and Asthma website.
With the project nearing its conclusion, the team asked the members of the public who saw Stories of Breath when it was first exhibited what they had gained from the experience. Here are just a few quotes:
“I’m so grateful that I saw this exhibit. It definitely gave me more awareness on the struggles women face with asthma. I feel very inspired by the stories I heard and appreciative of their vulnerability. I am a recent graduate who aims to research women’s health, and this exhibit has made me feel more motivated to accomplish my dreams. This was a beautiful way to bring these issues to people’s attention.”
“I have had asthma for 60 years and have never really discussed how it feels. The audio descriptions have put into words how I feel, especially when my asthma is at its worst.”
“I have little to no knowledge of asthma, let alone how asthma affects women. I am a trainee teacher and will be more mindful of the perfumes and fragrances I wear, I didn’t realise fragrances may affect those living with asthma.”
“This exhibit opened my eyes to the immune system’s link to asthma as well as the differences between males and females with asthma and I will be keeping an eye out for new research.”
“Science can be fascinating, beautiful and compelling.”
Watch the Women and Asthma film to learn more about the project: