A Ceilidh and a Safari: Out and about in Inverness and Moray

/

Photo credits: Alexander Williamson

Andrew from CHEX recently attended two creative and inspiring community research events in Inverness and Moray. In this Out and About article, he shares some of the things he found particularly inspiring or thought provoking.

As part of the broader community-led action research work by Scottish Community Development Centre (CHEX’s parent organisation), I attend regular online meetings organised by Community Knowledge Matters (CKM), which is a network for supporting community-led research in rural areas and islands of Scotland. CKM’s annual gathering was held in Inverness on the 10th and 11th of November and I caught an early train from Glasgow to attend the second day of the event.

The day packed in a huge variety of inputs and activities in relation to different aspects of community-led research. Highlights for me included a presentation on the findings the “Doing Mental Health and Wellbeing Research with Rural Communities” co-priority survey. This survey, which was a partnership between community members and academic researchers, involved collaborating at a more equal level, which the ‘panel’ of contributors identified as key to the success of the research.

 

Key findings

Key findings included the importance of open, safe spaces for peer-support, as well as the recognition that genuine partnership and power-sharing in research takes time, and that support for such research should accommodate delays and be as flexible as possible. Another learning point was that genuine partnerships help to create the grounded evidence needed to influence policy, a crucial dimension of community-led research.

The parallel sessions which followed included an interesting spotlight from NHS Highland and Space to Be, sharing how community-led research has enabled and informed co-development and sustainability of nature-connected opportunities for children, young people and families in Lochaber. Jack Soe-Paing from the group perfectly summarised the strengths he brings as a community research in terms of having a shared understanding with the young people who benefit from the activities.

After lunch, I led one of the Network Library Conversations. This part of the day was a space for peer-sharing of community resources, involving short discussions led by network members and partners, where people moved between tables to hear about different tools and stories from community-led research. For my conversation I shared the example of Shetland Link-Up, a community based support hub in Lerwick for people experiencing mental health challenges who may be at risk of suicide, and how we supported them to explore people’s experiences of accessing the right mental wellbeing support at the right time in a small community.

This prompted some great discussions at my table about the benefits and challenges for communities carrying out their own research. Being trained and supported to do your own research from start to finish provides invaluable skills and experience, not to mention ownership of the unique insights generated. However, it is also challenging and time consuming for communities, especially where capacity is already limited, which is why continuous support is essential.

Community Knowledge Matters is facilitated by Science Ceilidh, so it was no surprise that the day ended with a ceilidh, which was led by the organisation’s ‘in-house’ band. The quality of the playing was demonstrated by the fact that even reluctant dancers such as me joined in. Stories and creative inputs about community-led research were sewn into the proceedings, providing the perfect format for getting to know people and their work.

 

Mental Wealth Safari

The next day I attended a Mental Wealth Safari hosted by the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray Community Research Network (CRN), which I am on the advisory panel of. This separate event was deliberately well-timed so that people at the Inverness Gathering could easily tie in the Moray event as well. The ‘Safari’ consisted of a mini-bus tour around different towns and locations in Moray in which participants were encouraged to discuss and record their reflections on the tour using a range of creative and digital methods. Heidi Tweedie from CHEX network member Moray Wellbeing Hub, and a lead partner in the CRN, did an amazing job co-ordinating the tour while highlighting interesting aspects of Moray and communities within Moray to reflect on. I travelled home afterwards with a (slightly tired) head-full of ideas for making community-led research accessible and engaging.

Over the course of the two days I got to meet people I had previously met online face-to-face as well as people I hadn’t met before, including some really interesting projects all around Scotland. I know I’m not the only person to appreciate the value of in-person events more than ever before now that, for many of us, so much work takes place online and at home. The next steps for me are to follow up on the conversations I had and I’ll be continuing to take part in both Community Knowledge Matters and the Community Research Network in Moray as they go forward.

 Links for more information:

  • Find more information and reflections from the 2025 Community Knowledge Matters Gathering here, including recordings from the presentation on the findings from the co-priority survey and the spotlight from NHS Highland and Space to Be

  • See more on the Community Research Network in Moray here

 

 

Photo Credits: Alexander Williamson