Ealing’s Community Researchers took centre stage on Tuesday 5 May, hosting a showcase at The Dominion Centre in Southall to share what they’ve learned—and what happens next.
Bringing together residents, community organisations, council colleagues and our NIHR funders, the event focused on a clear message: community insight is key to shaping action across the borough.
Closing the loop with communities
A key aim of the event was to report back to the people who contributed their experiences. More than 130 local stories have been gathered since January 2025, and this showcase was an opportunity to demonstrate how those voices are being used.
A live illustration captured the day and centred on the message: “Research that started in the community comes back to the community where it belongs.”
Evidence & Learning for Health Director Dr Vaishnavee Madden said: “Evidence & Learning for Health is about strengthening how we use evidence and learning to tackle health inequalities in our communities. What’s important here is that the evidence is grounded in people’s real experiences and that community researchers are taking a leading role in the process.”
The Institute of Development Studies Research Fellow, Jo Howard added: “The Community Researchers are making a huge contribution to Evidence & Learning for Health’s vision. They have gathered rich and diverse insights, developed their analytical skills and built really strong relationships. They now have the confidence and evidence to bring community perspectives into conversations and planning processes in the council.”
From stories to action
This work is part of Evidence & Learning for Health’s participatory action research approach, where residents work alongside the council and partners to identify issues, generate deeper insights and develop solutions together.
The 22 Community Researchers have collected over 130 stories from across the borough, capturing lived experiences of health and wellbeing. These insights have been mapped into a large “systems map”, showing how issues connect and where change is needed.
From this work, 6 priority areas have been identified:
- Green spaces
- Engagement with youth services
- Unsuitable housing
- Language barriers
- Referral and signposting to improve access to services
- Domestic abuse
Action Research Groups—bringing together Community Researchers, council staff and partners—have been working on each theme to develop and test solutions.
Sharing learning
The showcase combined presentations from Community Researchers with short updates from each Action Research Group. Attendees then joined table discussions to explore the findings in more detail and contribute to next steps.
Building confidence and capability
Since January 2024, Community Researchers have developed skills in research, facilitation and analysis. The showcase highlighted their growing confidence—not just as contributors, but as local people shaping the work.
Their approach is already influencing how Evidence & Learning for Health and its partners think about engagement, showing the value of research rooted in lived experience.
With priority areas identified, the focus has shifted to testing actions. Each Action Research Group worked together to develop and test responses, ensuring community insight leads to meaningful change.
Ensuring the community is seen, heard and included
Community researcher Yasmin Feisal said: “I’ve gained more from this experience than I expected. It’s changed how I listen, how I connect with people, and how I understand the value of simply holding space for someone’s story. It has built my confidence and helped me find my voice, even in unfamiliar settings. The showcase matters because it honours those voices, bringing real experiences to light and returning them to the people who shaped them, ensuring the community is seen, heard, and included in shaping what comes next.”
What happens next
An evaluation of the first 18 months of this community action research project has provided useful learning to take forward in the next 12 months of work. This will involve testing community researcher involvement in a range of ‘live’ projects on the building blocks of health. Updates on projects will be shared on the community research page of our website.
The event closed with an invitation to continue conversations—reflecting the collaborative approach at the heart of Evidence & Learning for Health.
