Cornwall Community Groups Invited to Apply for Health Research Grants

Community organisations across Cornwall are being invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to fund research into the factors affecting people’s health and wellbeing.

The funding comes as part of a new round of Community Small Grants from the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cornwall, following a successful pilot involving 11 organisations.

Building on early success

The earlier pilot saw a range of projects carried out across Cornwall. These included research into health barriers faced by diverse women and a survey exploring the experiences of young people arriving at a homeless refuge.

HDRC Cornwall, which is hosted by Cornwall Council and forms part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is continuing its work to develop research that supports better decision-making and improves wellbeing across the county.

The group focuses on what are known as ‘health determinants’ – the wide range of factors that can influence people’s health. These can differ significantly depending on where people live.

In Cornwall, there is currently a five-and-a-half-year gap in life expectancy between those living in the richest and poorest areas.

Encouraging more groups to get involved

Cllr Thalia Marrington, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health at Cornwall Council, said:

“A lot of community groups in Cornwall are already doing great work supporting those impacted by health determinants. We now want to support more organisations to carry out their own research so they can better understand and support the communities they serve. This will also generate ideas for further research.

“I would encourage all voluntary and community groups to think about how they might be able to help with this ongoing research, and to apply for the funding.”

HDRC Cornwall already works with community groups through its partnership with Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum and its Community Research Group, but is now looking to expand that collaboration further.

Focus on real community issues

Dr Richard Sharpe, Consultant in Public Health and Centre Director at HDRC Cornwall, said:

“Working on research projects with a range of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and communities across Cornwall provides a unique opportunity to address health inequalities and deliver tangible improvements for local people. This enables local research developed by local communities to shape and inform future policy and practice.

“In particular, these grants provide an opportunity to learn more from marginalised or underserved communities and discover what could be changed to improve the health of these people. This could include research tackling issues around environment, housing, education, employment, food and transport, for example, all of which we recognise as being ‘building blocks of health’.”

How to apply

Applications opened on 16th March, with groups able to apply by visiting the HDRC Cornwall website and downloading the application pack.

Further details about the 11 projects already underway can also be found on the same page.