Project update: Northumberland Experiences

All our projects have people and places at their heart.

The Northumberland Experiences project exemplifies this. The Rural Design Centre has been working with a group of residents of the Hirst Estate in Ashington to help them become community researchers.

Delivering a six week training programme

10 residents have completed a 6 week training program to develop their research skills. Supported by academics from Newcastle and Durham Universities the group have developed skills in interviewing, focus groups and ethnography.

Community researchers having completed 6 weeks training.

From research planning to collecting data

The training course also helped the residents develop their own research project plans. Topics include the experiences of young people growing up in the Hirst, the way the estate changes character between daylight and nighttime hours and the role community projects and volunteering plays in supporting the community.

The community researchers are now engaged in their fieldwork collecting data. The results will help inform Northumberland Council’s policy on community development and is helping to build community capacity in the Hirst Estate.

The hope is that this approach can be rolled out to other communities across Northumberland.