Engagement showcase

Tilly Hale carer research panel

Matt Cooper, Hamde Nazar, Charlotte Richardson, and Laura Lindsay received a Tilly Hale award in 2024 to include more public members in research. The team is part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Newcastle Patient Safety Research Collaborative (PSRC) and the School of Pharmacy at Newcastle University. The award supports a research group of informal/unpaid carers who meet regularly to set the research agenda and priorities for the team.

This is different from usual public engagement, as there is not one project or idea that the panel are supporting. Instead, the panel are working with Matt and the team to identify where more work needs to be done and how we can better support carers. The panel supports research and develops ideas and approaches to improving understanding of the impact of caregiving on the carer and the person they support.

The panel meets four times per year and has had some great discussions over the last series of meetings. In the first meeting, the panel met in person and it was great to have everyone together to discuss ideas. The panel is currently working with an artist to develop a visual art piece answering the question, what does being a carer mean to me? This artwork will be used as a conversation aid for carers to use when talking to healthcare professionals or services and help inform students about what the role of a carer can mean for an individual. The panel are working on capturing the information and imagery and looking forward to having the final piece by the end of 2024.

Healthy Minds, Happy Lives

On Sunday 14 July, 2024, we hosted our "Healthy Minds, Happy Lives" Brain Health Event at Cowgate Cricket Club, Newcastle Upon Tyne. This community-led event was targeted at women and children from ethnic minority communities and aimed to raise awareness on dementia prevention, build connections between researchers and community members, and disseminate some of our research findings to date.

The event brought together researchers from Newcastle University who hosted information stalls with interactive activities and delivered short talks. There were free health checks for attendees which were facilitated by dietetics & pharmacy students. Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) and Healthworks Newcastle also supported the event through the provision of information, resources, and attendance on the day. Local community volunteers and vendors supported the event through the provision of interactive activities and games, as well as food and craft stalls.

Although dampened by heavy rain, the event was a great success, attended by over 60 people (not including the dozens of vendors and volunteers), and over £2,000 was raised overall for ARUK. This community-led event was a great opportunity to raise awareness and foster connections, and we were overwhelmed by the interest and enthusiasm for our research.

We would like to thank everyone who attended and supported our event, including members of the local community who volunteered, our PPI representative, Maysun, who was instrumental in the planning and execution of the event, and to ARUK for all their ongoing support. Finally, huge thanks to the Tilly Hale Award as this would not have been possible without the funding provided.