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In memory of Ayshea
This week, we laid one of our own to rest. A beloved colleague and friend, Ayshea left us far too soon.
In these blogs, we often write about the big issues, the challenges we face, and the ways we seek to understand them. Yet we should never forget that change happens one person at a time. When Ayshea joined us, she was another colleague among many. It did not take long, however, to realise that she brought a unique perspective to everything she encountered, as anyone who has read her blog posts below will recognise.
The pain of an untimely departure is made all the greater by our ability to imagine what might have been. We reflect not only on the work she left behind, but also on the work she would undoubtedly have gone on to accomplish had she been given the time. It feels as though she stopped speaking in the middle of a sentence. For those who knew her, however, that seems almost impossible to imagine.
Every colleague remembers her differently. I remember a conversation we had about vegetarianism and its influence on rising fruit and vegetable prices for low-income families. Her inquisitive mind asked the kinds of questions that made you pause and think again. Her manner was gentle, her attention genuine, and her interest in others so disarming that it allowed you to explore your own thoughts without fear of judgement.
She was an activist without ever needing to speak of activism. She was a fighter without bluster, a thinker without rhetoric. She was a friend without conditions and a colleague without expectations. Above all, she was my friend.
Even now, I find myself expecting to hear her distinctive northern voice somewhere across campus. Some absences are difficult to accept because the presence they leave behind remains so strong.
Rest well, Ayshea. We will not forget you.
Exploring the National Museum of Justice: A Journey Through History and Justice
UK Justice v The Demonic and Others
The Caracas Job: International Law and Geo-Political Smash and Grab
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Grief through art and privilege
Recently, I find myself constantly listening to Cat Burns’ (2025) new album ‘How to be Human’. An incredibly catchy, moving and soulful album. Lyrically, it navigates two types of grief; the death of a loved one (father and grandfather) and the end of a relationship. The lyrics are poignant and the melodies peaceful yet emotional. For somebody who has had this album hit too close too home, it is very much a ‘box of tissues at the ready’ type of album with some ‘get up and dance’ tracks included too.
Engaging with art (music, literature, print) which embodies and navigates grief can assist some in the healing process. Different people frame different emotions which hit in a whole new way. Music, art, literature are a necessity for human kind: but they are also a privilege. A privilege for those who can create, access and afford. Space, money, creativity are needed to create but also arguably to consume art as well. Is this fair given the unfortunate reality that we all will/have been bed fellows with grief, and these resources could help people process/address/feel?
This got me thinking about the broader collective which is grief: grieving for a previous version of yourself, grieving people, grieving a home, grieving something you want but cannot have, the ending of a relationship, loss of income. When I think about it, we grieve all sorts, yet these types of grief are not ‘mainstream’, or at least I hadn’t perceived them as such. And as I thought about grief, it made me think of those within the Secure Estate (children and adults), grieving the loss of loved ones, of relationships, of possibilities and of their liberties. Are they afforded the space to grieve? They are viewed as criminally responsible, and therefore deserving of punishment, and part of this punishment is loss but how do they process this? Do they view this loss of liberty in terms of grief? Are they afforded this privilege? I highly doubt it, and I wonder if this framing of grief and loss is something which needs deeper consideration when looking at rehabilitation. How can you rebuild and move forward if you haven’t processed, or at least begun to process, the loss. The loss of who you were, the loss of time, the loss of relationships, skills, knowledge etc.
In my humble opinion the album is beautiful and has made me deal with a new wave of feelings: but I think this is a good thing. As Burns (2025) identifies in ‘All this love’: it’s just part of the process. A process, given my positionality, I am privileged to be navigating with music, literature, family and friends. A privilege not afforded to all, or for all forms of grief. I think this should change. Grief can be all consuming, even on days when you think you’re on your feet, suddenly the rug is pulled from beneath you. And the tools you have, the space to be and to feel, are essential. So why then do we only afford them to some?
Bibliography:
Burns, C. (2025) ‘How to Be Human’. Available at Amazon Music (Accessed 31st October 2025)
Rosen, M. (2004) Sad Book. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press
Savage, M. (2025) ‘Cat Burns’ new album shows a softer side to the Traitors star’, BBC, 31st October. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2pxz14ypro (Accessed 11th November 2025)
