Community grants

Supporting parents who have lived experience of perinatal and infant mental ill-health, this is a joint project run by three specialist organisations in Moray, including those with lived experience. They are building a supportive community and involving previously underrepresented groups, with training provided to peer researchers to identify existing evidence and capture qualitative lived experiences. By hosting wellbeing events and connecting with researchers, the project is building a supportive community and equipping them with the skills to embed a long-lasting support network, as well as raising a greater awareness in the community of perinatal mental health.

Run by the North Lands Creative Studio and supported by visiting artists and teaching staff, this project has been designed by and for young people to develop inspiring and interactive glass-making activities, with young people and staff being invited and trained to act as co-researchers. The project aims to explore how the process of glass-making and transformative art may lead to improved self-expression and managing emotions. The researcher is helping to devise strategies for the recruitment to their Youth Advisory Group and will eventually plan co-research and arts-focused activities.

This project is engaging young LGBT+ people in Oldham to think about the impact of food choices and consumption on their mental wellbeing, with researchers from the Universities of Salford and Lancaster introducing them to relevant information and research through a series of workshops. The participants are working together to discover which recipes they like. The healthy options they create will then be shared amongst the wider Oldham community via cook-a-long events.

This project is centred around survivors of domestic abuse who are working with a researcher from the University of Manchester to produce a creative resource to help others going through similar experiences. By coming together and collaborating, the participants are seeing improved mental wellbeing from the building of self-esteem, reduction of blame and anxiety, and celebration of recovery.

This project is amplifying the voices of Black women in Oldham, building a relationship with a researcher from the University of Salford to help highlight their experiences, foster connections, facilitate conversations and improve mental wellbeing via two main outlets. Growing to Grow is a safe space for personal growth via growing vegetables and gardening. The second is a choir, fostering connection through music and creativity.

Situated in a diverse and multi-cultural location, Oasis Hub Hull is facilitating conversations amongst the community to help residents support each other with their mental wellbeing.
The project will use action research throughout, with their researcher partnership bringing insights and knowledge to the work. Through informal catch-ups, Oasis Hub Hull is promoting the co-creation of an environment where conversations about mental wellbeing can flourish in an area where many have felt the negative psychological effects of lockdown during the pandemic.

Situated on the Isle of North Uist, the local historical society are facilitating both the preservation of Gaelic heritage and its promotion to wider audiences.
With researcher support, they are exploring the intrinsic links between the local culture and the wellbeing of its community. The project is also bringing the community together to create long-lasting, embedded wellbeing spaces where their shared culture can be discussed and celebrated.

Based on the Great Glen Cattle Ranch, this project is providing a safe, accessible natural woodland for young people with additional support needs and their families.
The project encourages the young people to take ownership of the area, involving them in decision making, regarding the best use of the space to meet their individual needs. By providing such a space, focusing on inclusion and immersion in the outdoors, the project is aiming to target previously excluded members of the community, helping them to enhance their mental wellbeing and self-esteem through the proven benefits of this type of natural environment. Researchers from the University of Dundee are supporting the project by offering their expertise in connections with nature whilst working with the participants to determine specific factors of the environment which resonate with them and to further enhance these features.

This project supports parents to better understand how trauma and attachment affect both theirs and their children’s behaviours, emotions and mental wellbeing. They are working with a researcher to develop knowledge and understanding of participatory research, whilst also collaboratively designing and undertaking the project. By exploring therapeutic parenting techniques and developing communication skills in a safe and supportive environment, the project is helping improve the community’s mental wellbeing whilst also building foundations for longer-term approaches to share with a wider audience.

Pennine Mencap are working with the University of Manchester and people with autism and/or learning difficulties to explore how research is carried out and create a sensory art project. The project is exploring how the identity and mental wellbeing of adults with autism has been affected by the pandemic, and the resulting social isolation and transition to more online activities. The result of the project will also allow neurotypical community members to experience the world through the lens of someone with a neurological disability.

Mental wellbeing charity Ewen’s Room are facilitating this project in Lochaber to promote the benefits of being outdoors for young people and encourage engagement with green spaces. The project is recruiting and training young volunteers to conduct research amongst their peers in schools and youth groups, with the aim of discovering why young people don’t make more use of these green spaces to improve their mental fitness and wellbeing. Research programme and peer workshop design is being led by researchers from the University of the Highlands and Islands. The workshops are helping break down the barriers identified by the participants to help make better use of the natural environment around them, overcome low mood, and to improve their mental fitness, along with their physical fitness and emotional wellbeing.