Welcome to the Cumberland HDRC July update!
On 30th June, Katherine Arbuthnott, Dorota Goble and Ania Couchinho from NIHR joined us alongside Councillor Emma Williamson, Colin Cox, Andrew Seekings and Alex FitzGerald from Cumberland Council to reflect on the progress we’ve made, what we’ve learnt so far and talk about our future plans. We had the opportunity to hear from two of our Community Co-Researchers Andrew and Laura who spoke about their experiences and research plans which was greatly appreciated.
In the afternoon, we were joined by Professor Joy Duxbury - University of Cumbria, Dr Suzanne Wilson - University of Lancashire, Matthew Phillips - The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, Bridget Johns - Cumbria CVS (Council for Voluntary Service), Barbara Cooper and Chris Rao - North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust for partner discussions and presentations.
Our NIHR visitors shared really positive feedback on day and we are delighted to hear their comments on the strength of our partnerships, focus on communities, and the links we have established into clinical practice. They were also complimentary about the Community Co-Researcher programme, particularly Community Co-Researchers steering and shaping their own areas of research and our approach to supporting them to do so.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the day. We appreciate the opportunity to share our work, have such positive and productive discussions and hear your insights. Here's to what's next!
Community Co-Researcher Charlotte shares her experiences and plans for the future exploring Cumberland Community Panels and the experiences of Co-Opted members in more depth.
"Recruitment for out latest Community Co-Researchers closed last month, and after a busy day of informal conversations, CVS Support Officer Shirley and I had the difficult job of selecting our newest team members.
The standard of expression of interest was incredibly high, and those we met during the informal conversations were impressive. It made for some really tough decisions, but I'm so pleased to say we've appointed four new Community Co-researchers.
We've had two absolutely incredible, passionate candidates from South Cumberland, and choosing between them felt impossible. Thankfully I was working with Shirley who managed to make this happen, and worked out quickly how we could recruit both. I'm so glad we could because they each bring something unique and will be a real asset to the programme.
With these appointments, we now have a full team of 17 Community Co-Researcher across Cumberland, which feels like a huge milestone.
Our newest cohort starts training next week, and I can't wait to get started. They'll be joining the rest of the team as they begin their CCR journey, building the skills and confidence to work alongside their communities and help shape research that reflect the people its there to serve."
It won't be long until our September to November 2026 research skills training sessions are up for booking. Until then, you can read training officer Dr Jae-Llane Ditchburn's reflections on delivering the first series of our research skills training programme in 2026 and what's up next.
"The first cycle of the Turning Research into Action programme has helped bring research to Cumberland colleagues in a practical and supportive way.
This year we focused on encouraging colleagues to explore ideas and how to use this as a tool for innovation and build their confidence in using data to inform their work. Based on feedback from last year’s programme, we delivered 17 more focused sessions covering four themes: curiosity, capability, co-production and championing change with an emphasis on depth of learning.
Our training programme received excellent feedback, particularly on how sessions were delivered and how learning could be applied in practice.
“I liked the interactive part of the session and the ability to work on real examples.”
“Extremely useful, transferable skills and great facilitation.”
A highlight for me was co-ordinating our first conference as a HDRC 'Partners in Practice: Co-Producing Research that Reflects Real Lives' in June, which brought together council staff, communities, academics and HDRC partners to focus on co-production and learning from lived experience. Feedback from the conference was very positive with attendees enjoying the welcoming atmosphere, making new contacts and valuing the chance to share co-production learning together. Attendees also highlighted the variety of speakers, insights into co-production in local authorities, and expert sessions offering practical funding advice and learning on research ethics and governance.
The next cycle will run from September to November 2026 and will introduce an Applied Research Training Initiative (ARTI). This will give Cumberland Council colleagues the chance to carry out manageable research projects as part of the programme. The focus will be on learning by doing, supporting colleagues to build confidence through real experience and apply research directly to their work."
Don't forget, you can also reach out to Jae-Llane for tailor made training for you and your team. Drop her an email at jae-llane.ditchburn@cumberland.gov.uk to discuss.
We're pleased to share that we are working in partnership with Cumberland Council, University of Cumbria and Carlisle Youth Zone to provide funding, literature review, data analysis, ethical and research governance support for the new Cumberland Youth Matters project.
This project brings together Youth, Peer and Community Co-researchers to develop the Cumberland Youth Strategy (2026–2031). Cumberland Youth Matters aims to generate new insight into the lives, needs, and aspirations of children and young people in Cumberland and build research skills and capability within Cumberland Council, youth groups, Third Sector partners and wider communities.
The youth and peer youth co-researchers work as part of Carlisle Youth Zone who host on behalf of the Cumbria Youth Co-Research Collective.
Our funders NIHR have published their annual report for 2025/26 offering a snapshot of their work and showcasing examples of work that demonstrates an impact beyond health and wellbeing. Click the link below to see their Year In Numbers and Impact, inclusion, Innovation and Investment highlights.
In addition to our newsletter, we also share news on our LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find us on Cumbria Observatory.
You can always find us at the end of an email so don’t hesitate to contact us at hdrc@cumberland.gov.uk with any questions, comments or if you’d like to invite us round for a cup of tea and a catch up. We love being invited to any events that might be a good fit or let us know if we can use your space and always eager to chat with the people who use your services!
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