Projects

The Oldham Athletic Community Trust is bringing together retired and elderly fans from the local area to chat and reminisce about their memories of Oldham Athletic Football Club to combat growing isolation amongst the community, with researchers from the University of Leeds and the University of Reading sharing information including tips and suggestions about boosting memory, physical activity and wellbeing in retirement. Participants are shaping the conversation and highlighting the needs of the community, whilst also engaging in social activities that improve mental wellbeing.

Run by Neighbourhood Network, this project is supporting women before, during, and after the menopause by encouraging conversations and normalising what is sometimes considered a ‘taboo’ subject. The partnership with the University of Hull offers an opportunity to share knowledge to create an important social network and deliver and exciting programme of activities. Through offering one to one sessions, group workshops, coffee mornings and physical programmes, the project is offering both holistic health alternatives and mental wellbeing support.

This project aims to reconnect young people living in urban areas with their wild selves through running a range of activities in local wild spaces focused on fostering nature connection and positive mental wellbeing. Young people are supported by researchers from the University of Hull to co-create a research programme which measures the effectiveness of the project through utilising creative participatory research methods.

This is a community led, intergenerational project, aiming to connect everyone in the local community from the primary school to the nursing home.
The project is creating an audiovisual trail by recording sounds, stories and images, as well as documenting people’s connection to the outdoors. They are working with a researcher to help maximise the quality of data gathered from events and better understand the experiences of the community who participate. This project runs a wide variety of activities including walks, talks and Nature Art activities, to help improve mental wellbeing and foster connection between the local residents of all ages to help protect their local identity and culture.

The Open Space Project is focused on creating a new, unique drop-in café for young people on the Shetland Islands, to act as a safe space to combat isolation and develop connections. The young people participating in this project are leading the project in designing what kind of space they want, and are supported by researchers offering their advice and expertise. The café is empowering young people through community participation and leadership opportunities.

This project is bringing women together through both horticulture and digital literacy to help improve both physical and mental wellbeing.
Participants are working with a researcher who will help to develop digital skills and share analytical skills with participants in order for them to chart the story of the She Shed. Programmes like the ‘Wellbeing Naturally’ Course, which combines gardening in a polytunnel with therapeutic practices, alongside additional activities promoting learning about healthy eating, food sustainability, and digital skills, are enabling the project to reach those in a rural community to combat isolation and provide residents with new skills..

Working with adult community members in two main age groups- 19+ and 40+, this project examines the benefits of time spent outdoors on mental wellbeing.
Working with a researcher will enable them to develop an approach with the community to measure and co-design the activities that participants go through. Two programmes are running to help establish a connection between the community members and the natural surroundings in their local area: Air (walking and woodland exploration) with mature adults, and Water (water-sports and swimming) with young adults.

This project is set out in two 10 week periods to provide support to survivors of mother and baby institutions. It will give those affected an opportunity for creative expression.
From painting to performances, the sessions are facilitated by an experienced theatre practitioner and a researcher using a trauma informed lens. The group are working with the researcher to develop their skills around research protocols and receiving guidance on the format of the project. The project is being co-designed by the participants and is using the arts as a way of improving mental wellbeing.

Young people participating in this project are being encouraged to develop educational programmes and resources, using storytelling as one of the tools for improving mental wellbeing. They will work with a researcher and learn about approaches and methodologies in cultures and traditions across the world, as well as developing their own research and facilitation skills. Through workshops focusing on empowerment and positivity, the programme is allowing young people to build relationships and make connections though sharing their lived experience.

This project is supporting children and young people who have been bereaved through using outdoor activities to help improve their mental wellbeing.
They will work with researchers to co-design age-appropriate writing and poetry activities that will form part of the support sessions. Fitmums and Friends, who are facilitating the project, are using outdoor activities, exploring literature about grief and providing emotional support and opportunities to share feelings to improve the mental wellbeing of those affected and creating a long-term network to support them.

SB Elevate® is a dance programme developed by Scottish Ballet for people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The project partners are working together to adapt SB Elevate® for Orkney using dance as a means to create a community amongst its participants. A researcher is collaborating with the project partners and the wider community to explore community action research and informally test data collection methods for dance health, as well as exploring the aspects of island ecology which support SB Elevate® activities. Alongside ballet classes and social cafes other safe spaces are being utilised to help support the participants and improve their mental wellbeing across the islands both in person and via virtual sessions.