Community-led research projects to benefit Berkshire groups

Six community groups based in Reading and Slough are working with the British Science Association (BSA) and the University of Reading to explore research questions of direct relevance to their local areas.

The project is designed to make research and science more accessible and inclusive, and to address community needs, interests and priorities.

The successful community groups, often representing traditionally underrepresented communities, are working with researchers to design and implement local research projects linked to science. Each group has been given a grant of more than £9,000 to spend.

The six community research projects are:

• Together as One, a youth-led charity in Slough, is investigating the potential positive effects of participating in urban beekeeping on young people’s mental wellbeing, working with Professor Ciara McCabe, from the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences and PhD student Sena Demir Kassem.

• Slough Anti-Litter Society is studying local attitudes towards littering and how to develop strategies to encourage sustainable behaviour and hold businesses to account. They are working with Professor Keiichi Nakata (Henley Business School) and Dr Rosa Walling-Wefelmeyer (Law).
  
  
• Reading HongKongers CIC are investigating the impacts of community gardening on belonging, identity, cohesion and mental wellbeing, as well as exploring the possibility of cultivating native Hong Kong plants and crops in Reading, working with Reading crop scientist Dr Deepti Angra and soil scientist Dr Sarah Duddigan.
  
  
• TRIYBE, an anti-racism group in Reading are looking at the chemicals in commonly-used black hair products and their impact on health and cultural identity, working with researchers Symiah Barnett from Loughborough University and Dr Tamanda Walker from the University of Leeds.
  
  
• The Engine Room Sound Laboratory in Reading is exploring the sound of emotions through concrete, the impact of colours on wellbeing and the effects of noise on concentration with the University’s Diversity & Inclusion adviser, Ceara Webster and architecture student Annet Twinokwesiga.
  
  
• The Integrated Research and Development Centre aims to enhance gardening practices through Nepalese customs, composting management, and food waste recycling, working with environmental scientist Professor Hong Yang and crop scientist Dr Deepti Angra.

Claudette Maharaj, Director at TRIYBE, one of the six community projects to receive grant funding, said: “The more we engage directly with the community through TRIYBE’s Black Hair Research Project Natural, the greater the interest and confidence we see in the value of this scientific research.

“Having access to a pot of research funding to start is great, and with amazing support from the British Science Association, the University of Reading, and our black heritage researcher we are ready to make significant progress that will benefit the community.”

Professor Adrian Bell, Research Dean for Prosperity & Resilience at the University of Reading, said: “We know from our work in Whitley and other areas of Reading how much communities have to contribute when their perspectives and knowledge are integrated into local research. We are excited and pleased to be working with these six community groups on research projects that will have lasting benefits in the local area.”

Kate Orchard, Head of Community Engagement at the British Science Association, said: “At the BSA, we are delighted with the diverse range of projects and ideas that have been suggested by the groups we have selected for this initiative.

“The Pilot is one example of how we can better balance out the power dynamics between communities and researchers. By using this model, we hope to see not only a significant impact on the community groups involved by offering them greater access to research in a way that is relevant to them, but also create meaningful change for the researchers and research institutions involved.”