Round three – June 2026
Our third round of seed funding applications closed in March 2026.
Seven applicants have been successful in receiving funding in June 2026.
Blackpool Council public health team
This project will explore the impact of the Green Dot Bystander Programme in Blackpool, focusing on how people can safely challenge harmful behaviours. It will look at what helps or prevents people from stepping in, alongside real-life examples of bystander action and participants’ experiences. The findings will help strengthen future approaches to community safety and prevention work across the town.
Think Forward CIC
Exploring whether the ‘Top Bloke’ card game can help promote positive masculinity and gender equality among young men. Using a creative, gamified approach, the research will look at how the game encourages reflection, builds empathy and respect, and challenges harmful gender norms and online influences. The findings will inform future tools and approaches to supporting healthier, more inclusive attitudes.
Active Blackpool
Evaluate Active Blackpool’s Exercise Referral Scheme to understand how well it meets the needs of local people. It will focus particularly on the scheme’s impact on mental wellbeing and work readiness. The evaluation will provide valuable insights to help improve the programme and ensure it continues to support residents in leading healthier, more active lives.
Blackpool Football Club Community Trust
This project will explore whether early, tailored support for families considering elective home education can help reduce the number choosing this route. It will also examine how strengthening relationships between schools and families may influence decisions. The research aims to better understand the factors behind elective home education and identify opportunities for early support and intervention.
Electric Pink Voices Choir
This evaluation will explore how community singing supports mental health, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ communities. Using Electric Pink Voices Choir as a case study, the project will look at the social and emotional benefits of participation. It will also develop a practical evaluation framework that can be shared with other community choirs to help demonstrate their impact.
Lancaster University
This project will examine why young people move into elective home education, with a focus on secondary school age where rates are highest. Using creative research methods, it will explore the experiences of young people and families, the pathways into home education and what support could make a difference. The findings will help build a deeper understanding of this complex issue and inform future approaches.
Streetlife
This research proposal will explore the experiences of young people aged 18 to 25 who are living in temporary accommodation and trying to access education and employment. It will also consider the impact of transgenerational substance use. Using creative and participatory methods, the research will centre young people’s voices, helping to ensure their experiences shape future services and support.
Round two - August 2025
Our second round of seed funding applications closed in April 2025.
Two applicants have been successful in receiving funding in August 2025.
Blackpool Council adult social care team/Lancaster University
Developing a research proposal to explore the underlying drivers and mechanisms which facilitates high rates of long term residential care placements in Blackpool. The findings from this research will inform our understanding of why health inequalities exist within long-term residential care placements and support adult social care services in understanding the local community, in order to provide appropriate and meaningful care to the Blackpool area.
Blackpool Council climate team
Developing a research proposal to understand the impact of extreme weather on health and social care services and care home residents and the preparedness of services to deal with extreme weather events. This will contribute to developing practical climate adaptation strategies for implementation at both community and policy levels. As part of the project, Healthwatch Blackpool and community co-researchers will undertake focused engagement to ensure that local voices are centred in the research process.
Round one - January 2025
Our first round of seed funding applications closed in October 2024.
Two applicants have been successful in receiving funding in January 2025.
Libraries Connected
Carrying out a research evaluation using the Economic Value of Libraries (EVOLS) tool from the University of East Anglia to evaluate the impact of library-based activities tailored for communities with historically low health and economic outcomes. As a starting point, the EVOLS tool will be applied to Revoe Library to map activity and impact against community needs, potentially identifying hidden needs and sectors of the community not currently engaging with the library. By evaluating current provision, the libraries service can highlight areas for potential service development and compare the impacts of different programmes.
UNITED Youth Alliance CIC
Developing a research proposal to use Participatory Action Research (PAR) to explore the issue of gender bias in the information, advice and guidance given to young people and how this impacts on their health and wellbeing choices. The project will be led by young people. The insights gained from this project will feed into the development of future research proposals, will be used to raise awareness of the data and co-create social action campaigns. The learning will also be shared with peers nationally.
The NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Blackpool is part of the NIHR and hosted by Blackpool Council. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations enable local authorities to become more research-active, embedding a culture of evidence-based decision making.