Please note that from January 1st 2019 South West Foundation no longer operates.

Useful content from this website is being transferred to the heritage organisation,

South West Community Matters.

This can be found at 

www.southwest-community-matters.org.uk

 For the last ten years South West Foundation has been training community members to undertake their own research projects.  Over 600 community members have taken part in the research projects, and the Foundation has developed its own unique Community Researcher Training Programme. This involves guided research with community groups aimed at engaging community members who may not previously have undertaken research. 

To see more details about our Community Researchers, click to visit our sister website www.communityresearch.org.uk

Community Matters is a Partnership Project Between South West Foundation and University of Bath. Five Community Groups undertook Community Based Participatory Research(CBPR) projects of their choice supported by researchers from the university and the Foundation.  As well as building skills, participating community groups have been able to utilise the evidence-based research to support funding applications. 

More detail on the project follows below, and can also be found at 

http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2017/09/21/community-matters-2/ 

Images from Community Matters event, 21st September 2017

at the Guildhall in Bath

Over 100 people attended the Community Matters presentation event in Bath

Research undertaken by Community Matters participants

• Wansdyke Play Association explored the impact that outdoor, outreach play services had on alleviating play deprivation across Somer Vale communities;
• Triumph over Phobia, a charity who wanted to understand how to encourage people with anxiety problems to seek help;
• Black Families Education Support Group explored the role supplementary schooling can play in narrowing the educational achievement gaps between different ethnic groups
• Creativity Works, an organisation using creative activities, arts, drawing, writing performance to help people overcome anxiety and mental health challenges;
• Transition Larkhall, an organisation dedicated to tackling climate change through local actions but researched the impact of the school run in Larkhall

Presentations from the Community Matters event are available to download below

            Creativity Works

            Link to film by Creativity Works as a result of their Community Matters                      Research Project: https://vimeo.com/233988064 (cut and paste into                   browser)

  Black Families Education Support Group

  A video about their research into the role supplementary schooling can play in         narrowing the educational achievement gaps between different ethnic groups.

COMMUNITY BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH MATERIALS

An explanation of Community Based Participatory Research 

COMMUNITY RESEARCHER TRAINING SOUTHWEST