How We Get Research Into Communities

Our Health Research Coordinator, James, has been out and about at community events over the past month, and wanted to take a chance to highlight a couple of them! Some words from him below the break.

One of the things I really like about my job is getting to meet all kinds of people in all kinds of places across Peterborough. When you do community-based work, you have to be open to opportunity; I’ve always spent time in community spaces just chatting with people about their lives and how they live them. This is a core part of how I practise ways of working based on lived experience, whether that was the Poverty Truth Commission or the work I currently do looking to promote participation in health and care research.

Part of the privilege of getting to develop deep relationships with community members across Peterborough is getting invited to their events!

In late May I spent some with the Gambian Community in Peterborough at their Eid celebration, which they held at the Fleet. It was a time of education as well as celebration, as some representatives from the local police were also there to run a small session teaching children about the dangers of carrying a knife.

It was lovely to meet old friends and also have a chance to meet new people from the community and talk to them about chances to take part in research. I think every single person I spoke to, in turn, offered me food, and on what was a boiling hot day I arrived to a hug and an ice-cold bottle of water.

I was also lucky enough, in June, to be invited by the Chinese Community in Peterborough to attend their event celebrating five years of offering Tai Chi lessons in the community, held outside the Cathedral. Despite the wind, there were some incredibly inspiring speeches about the different that the Chinese Community in Peterborough have made through their work, and after a demonstration we all got the chance to take part in a taster session afterwards.

I can see what the fuss is about, and I am still doing toe raises now!

If you couldn’t tell, I love getting to do outreach! I am always looking for new people and communities to talk to about research. Have a look at one of our previous posts if you’re curious about the work we do, and make sure to email co*********@*****co.uk or call 01733 342683 for further information.

I owe a big thanks to Ousman Gaye, and to Faustina Yang, respectively, for their love and trust, and for inviting me to take part in their work. It means a lot.

The Gambian Community in Peterborough have an event coming up, info at this link, and their Facebook page is here.

You can find information about the next Tai Chi sessions the Chinese Community in Peterborough are hosting on their Facebook page.