2022 Get Involved Awards
In 2022 we invited communities to apply to work with our researchers to find sustainable solutions to community problems, challenges or support to pursue new ideas to solve local problems through research. 
We then funded six projects from a range of community partner and researcher partnerships - please find a synopsis of the projects available below. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Get Involved Awards, please email getinvolvedawards@plymouth.ac.uk or view the Get Involved Awards 2023
1. James Daybell and Annie Winsland, Public Engagement Manager National Trust
Project Title: Gendered Interpretations of Saltram House, National Trust Treasure House: LGBTQ+ Identities, Inclusion and Relevance.
This is a collaborative project between History and Heritage researchers at the University, Saltram House, Plymouth Pride and the LBGTQ+ Community Archive and community partners. The project will offer a series of training sessions at Saltram for volunteers, staff and guides on Plymouth’s LGBTQ+ past. The programme includes support around appropriate language use and trans-awareness with the aim of making the national ‘Treasure House’ property of Saltram relevant to diverse groups, including the LGBTQ+ community and asylum seekers.
Gardens, Saltram House
2. Diego Zamora, Blair Graham and Tracey Swan, SkatetotheMAX
Project Title: Skate to the Max – Raising awareness of skate safety.
Skate to the Max is a community interest company that aims at raising awareness about the use of safety personal protective equipment (PPE) when practicing urban sports, specifically skateboarding. Working with the Trauma Audit and Research Network, this project will contribute to the national-scale analysis of traumatic injuries related to urban sports. In addition, it aims to challenge the existing culture around the use (or lack of use) of PPE to increase the safety of road users and recreational use of urban areas, thus helping to reduce the number of trauma incidents associated with these urban sports.
Tracey Swan,  SkatetotheMAX
3. Alison Warren and Annie Charles, Blooming Well, Mustard Tree
Project Title: Blooming Well – Designing a community-based horticulture therapy group for clients with a cancer diagnosis that promotes recovery and well-being.
This project supports people with cancer diagnosis by providing a community-based horticulture therapy group to aid recovery and wellbeing. Blooming Well will be a specialist-led, volunteer-assisted intervention programme. The research will devise a strategy for conducting future research to collect data that will measure the potential for the intervention to promote physical, psychological, emotional, and social wel-being, recovery and restoration following a cancer diagnosis and medical intervention/treatment.
Annie Charles, Blooming Well, Mustard Tree
4. Helen Lloyd and Emma Sprawson, Peggy Melmoth, Mindful Art Club
Project Title: An Action Based Evaluation of Mindful Art Club (MAC) in Plymouth
The aim of this project is to work with key stakeholders to design an action-based research project to better understand if and how Mindful Art Club activities benefit individuals and the wider community. By helping this organisation to grow, opportunities will increase for jobs and volunteering roles together with potential access to more funding which will improve the Club’s prospects of long-term sustainability and positive impact on the community and its users.
Helen Lloyd, Emma Sprawson, Peggy Melmoth
5. Miranda Cunningham and Lily Urbanska Take a Part CIO
Project Title: Evidencing Crazy Glue and Socially Engaged Arts Practice in Plymouth Schools
Crazy Glue is a monthly after school art group for parents and children from underserved communities. It aims to connect with harder-to-reach families and develop links between schools and the community – there are currently four schools operating a Crazy Glue group in Plymouth. The project seeks to evidence how this programme supports its users and to share and advocate for the replication of this programme of socially engaged practice both locally and nationally.
Lily Urbanska
6. Christopher Pac-Soo and Lavinia Porfir, Plymouth & Devon Racial Equality Council 
Project Title: Assessing the Impact of Racist Incidents on the community in Plymouth
Since the pandemic, the Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council (PDREC) has recorded an increase in racist incidents within the postcode area of PL1. This Get Involved Award will seek to examine and explore the possible causes and social factors that inform the experiences of racism of minority ethnic communities. In addition, the project aims to examine the impact such experiences have had on the victims, links between hate incidents and areas of poverty and how this contributes to increased level of isolation, poor mental health and wellbeing.
Lavinia Porfir

What’s next for our successful researchers?

Our researchers have been working collaboratively in the community and supporting each other across projects. Community partners are made associate members of the University of Plymouth for access to our support, resources and services to develop their research skills. SERIO, Research & Innovation’s applied research unit, also led community researcher training with our community partners.