Following a successful funding bid, we are delighted to announce the official launch of the Weymouth and Portland Community Research Network which aims to involve local community members in the decisions that affect our future. The Network has obtained a £24,530 grant from United Kingdom Research & Innovation (UKRI) for a project named ‘Voices From a Forgotten Town: Young and Marginalised People Share Their Visions for the Future’ The initial funding is to grow the Network’s capacity over six months, working towards a bid for further funding to undertake significant local research.
Three local charities joined forces with the authors of the recent Forgotten Towns report and have been awarded this prestigious UKRI grant. STEPS Club for Young People, Island Community Action and The Lantern Trust will form the nucleus of the Weymouth and Portland Community Research Network, working collaboratively and building relationships with other community groups to develop and share local knowledge.
The nationwide programme is overseen by Innovate UK – part of UKRI – who are investing in infrastructure and capacity-building to support communities and local organisations as they develop and share research that is useful, produced and owned by them. They say “Our aim is to build capacity to produce research collaboratively and partner with research institutions and organisations. This is about knowledge production, which is by and for local communities.”
Three significant reports have recently recognised the urgent need for research into the experiences and aspirations of people living in coastal communities. The Coastal Communities Alliance report Communities on the Edge argues that use of data at a more detailed level would help to identify communities with the greatest need. A report by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty notes that “coastal communities are long overlooked, with limited research on their health and wellbeing” and the Forgotten Towns report highlighted that many people in South Dorset believe they go unheard by key decision-makers.
Project coordinator for the Weymouth and Portland Community Research Network, Siobhan Lennon-Patience said “Decision-makers can be remote from local people with first-hand experience. Our purpose is to start from the strength of our communities, involving them equitably to combine knowledge and action for social change. This puts local people and communities at the heart of our research.”
Principal Youth Worker at STEPS, Tom Lane, added: “We’re excited to be working collaboratively to undertake research focusing on people’s real lives, their challenges and aspirations and which we hope will lead to positive changes.”
If you are interested in our work and would like to know more, please contact us on [email protected]
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