Community Co‑Researchers Leading the Way in Cumberland

April 4, 2026

Shirley Murray, our Community Co-researcher Support Officer for the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cumberland, gives us a project update, including news on training, a Research Groups launch event, research topics chosen and more.

 

I’m really excited to share the latest update on our work with the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cumberland, where together we’re building and supporting research‑active communities across the Cumberland area. This project is a joint initiative between Cumbria CVS and Cumberland HDRC (Health Determinants Research Collaboration).

Funded by National Institute of Health and Care Research, and it’s all about making sure local people play an active role in shaping and delivering the research that affects their communities’ health and wellbeing.

 

Community Co‑Researchers Leading the Way

Our team now manages fourteen Community Co‑Researchers (CCRs) who are working within Cumberland HDRC to design and carry out research focused on tackling health inequalities in their own communities. Each CCR is linked to the Community Panel area where they live, ensuring that their insights are grounded in lived experience.

 

Completing the First Phase of Training

Last month, our CCRs successfully completed the first phase of their HDRC training. This introductory stage explored what it truly means to be a CCR, including research methods, co‑production, and understanding how lived experience can shape meaningful research. Completing the training is an important milestone, and I am so proud of the commitment, dedication and passion each CCR has shown.

 

What’s next?

Over the next month, we’ll be turning our attention to the upcoming Research Groups Launch Event. Our CCRs will, meet research leads, explore the themes currently in development and begin identifying where community insight can strengthen and shape future research.

This is an exciting opportunity for CCRs to co create meaningful research alongside academic and professional partners.

 

Research Topics Led by Community Passion

We want our CCRs to feel empowered—shaping their roles, contributing authentically, and choosing research areas that matter to them. Each CCR has explored a research topic they are passionate about and include:

  • Unpaid carers
  • Sleep
  • Menopause / unpaid carers
  • Exercise and fitness opportunities for disabled people
  • Community engagement
  • Mental health
  • University experience for non drinkers
  • Sugar consumption in schools
  • Community participation for the “quiet voice”
  • Higher education opportunities in Cumberland

From May onwards, CCRs will work alongside research groups to develop these ideas further and begin attending more detailed training sessions. By the end of this phase, the goal is for each CCR to have crafted a well developed research question ready to take forward.

 

Embedding a Culture of Evidence

The research our CCRs develop will play a valuable role in embedding an evidence informed culture within Cumberland Council. HDRCs are designed to improve understanding of how local decisions affect health and health inequalities—and to generate new research where gaps exist. Involving communities directly is essential to this mission.

We are proud of the progress our CCRs have made so far and are excited to see how their insights will help strengthen research and shape healthier futures across Cumberland.

 

Who are the CCR’s?

Everyone of our CCR’s is unique, bringing their own lived experience to the project, providing insight into the challenges faced by them and supported by evidence of the impact of local decisions. All this combined makes them the right fit for the role of a CCR.

 

Hear From Our Community Co‑Researchers

Looking ahead

I’m incredibly proud to be supporting this incredible team of Community Co-researchers. Each one of them is on an individual journey, I have enjoyed seeing them learn and develop as individuals over the last few months and can’t wait to see how their research proposals develop and take shape.

Watch this space!

 

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cumberland is part of the NIHR and hosted by Cumberland Council. NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations enable local authorities to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making. The NIHR has awarded £150 million to 30 HDRCs across the UK, to provide the capacity and capability for local authorities to undertake public health research to address the wider determinants of health and health inequalities.