Cumberland HDRC

05/06/2026

🎉We're excited to announce that our new community co-researcher vacancies are open!

Be a part of improving health and wellbeing in your community through research. No experience required, full training is provided to build your research skills and confidence and you’ll be supported every step of the way.

If you live in South Cumberland or Fells and Solway and want to play a key role in making sure that community voices and lived experience are represented in research that reduces health inequalities, head over to the CVS website for full details and how to apply 👇
https://cumbriacvs.org.uk/vacancies/community-co-researcher-hdrc-cumberland-2/

04/06/2026

⭐ Check out this blog post by one of our Community Co-Researchers!

A big thank you to Laura for sharing her experience in such a beautifully written piece and we can't wait to see where your project takes you

01/06/2026

👋 Are you a trans or gender diverse person living in Cumberland?

Healthwatch Cumberland would like to know about your journey and the support you received, with a particular focus on health and social care.

This can include things such as describing the treatment you received from healthcare professionals, if your identity and the pronouns and name you use were respected or maybe you feel like there could be more events and support groups available to you.

They would also love to hear from friends and family members of trans and gender diverse people.

💻 For full information, head over to their website (and check out the Trans Voices comic book whilst you're there!):

https://wearepeoplefirst.co.uk/healthwatch-cumberland/healthwatch-cumberlands-current-projects/trans-voices-project-healthwatch-cumberland/

📧 Or email: [email protected]

We know being trans is a different experience for each trans person and there is no one way to be trans. But we would like to know about your journey and the support you received, with a particular focus on health and social care.

01/06/2026

🧰 The Culturally Competent Research Framework

This toolkit, funded by the NIHR Newcastle PSRC and co-designed by community partners and key stakeholders, supports researchers to embed cultural competence and equity into every stage of the research journey - from idea to impact.

Check out the toolkit here 👇

The Culturally Competent Research Framework (CCRF) is a practical toolkit that helps researchers embed cultural competence and equity into every stage of the research journey — from idea to impact.

29/05/2026

📣 Focus Group Session on NIHR Guidance for Remunerating and Recognising Community Organisations

National Institute for Health and Care Research are developing guidance on how VCSE organisations should be fairly recognised and resourced when supporting community engagement linked to research. This is an important step in working towards more equal cross-sector partnerships.

VCSE organisations are invited to take part in a 1 hour focus group discussion to help test new guidance, and share what works in practice and what may need to change. Organisers want to hear whether the guidance feels clear, inclusive, realistic and fair in practice, particularly for organisations delivering community engagement activity and managing or receiving funding to support this work.

Participants will be remunerated for their time.

🎟️ Complete the expression of interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemcj33T1VybRUZOKowPqF5U8PVsSVnB5aOAenn7-XyxD1caw/viewform

📧 Or for more details, please contact Sakinat at [email protected]

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

14/05/2026

It was an absolute pleasure for HDRC Communications and Engagement officer Sam to attend Community Engagement Toolkit New Resource Pack: 'Share and Learn' Event earlier this week. The new toolkit is a fantastic resource for researchers and community partners to make co-production the heart of health and care research projects. The illustrations and animations are a particular highlight and a great way to connect with the principles and resources in a creative, accessible way.

You can access the toolkit co-created by VONNE (Voluntary Organisations'​ Network North East), NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) partners through Creating Connections, and several Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations in the North East and North Cumbria here 👇

Community Engagement Toolkit This toolkit aims to support researchers and community partners to develop health and care research projects together. It has been co-created by Voluntary Organisations’ Network North East (VONNE), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) partners through...

14/05/2026

Last week our HDRC Research and Innovation Manager Mike headed over to the North Cumbria Social Prescribing Report launch to hear more about their collaborative work. Presentations on the day really highlighted the value of social prescribing in North Cumbria and both the scale and depth of support being provided to communities.

Head over to the Cumbria CVS website to read the full report 👇🏼

In April 2026 the North Cumbria Social Prescribing Steering Group published a report into social prescribing, health and wellbeing coaching and similar approaches locally.

17/04/2026

Want more Community Co-Researcher team news? Cumbria CVS Support Officer Shirley Murray shares the latest updates in her first blog post. Check it out here ⬇️

10/04/2026

The PCSM Research Hub invites you to join us for the next edition of the CumbriaMed Research Webinar Series, which showcases leading health researchers working in and with Cumbria.

Each session features two expert speakers and a live Q&A. The series is open to staff, students, patients, relatives, and the public; all are welcome.

💬 Topic: From Health Data to Better Care
📅 Date: Thursday 23 April 2026
🕜 Time: 12:30–13:30
📍 Location: Zoom (registration required)
👉 Register: tinyurl.com/pcsm-webi9

Speakers: Professor Paul Aylin - Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College London and Dr Walter Muruet -Gutierrez - Postdoctoral Researcher, Imperial College London

Hosted by: PCSM Research Hub
Funded by: NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre(BRC)