Co-Producing Integrated Place-Based Supports to Enable Healthy Ageing-In-Place for Roma Communities
Lead Research Organisation:
Heriot-Watt University
Department Name: School of Energy, Geosci, Infrast and Society
Abstract
Public health bodies, government reports and policies have identified Roma communities as a key priority, stating that health and wellbeing interventions are urgently needed to address widening inequalities. Roma groups experience some of the poorest health and wellbeing outcomes across society, including significantly lower life expectancies, higher prevalence of long-term chronic conditions and increased social exclusion. Poorer health related outcomes result from barriers and challenges to accessing the physical, social, and cultural assets to age well. The aim of this project is to identify how community assets can support healthy ageing for Roma communities and to co-produce Integrated Place-based Hubs (IPBHs) aimed at reducing health inequities in middle to later life (40+). This project will adopt a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach, utilising a co-researcher model and visual and creative methods to understand how community assets can be mobilised to improve health and wellbeing and reduce marginalisation and exclusion for Roma communities. This proposal has been designed and will be conducted in equal partnership with Roma groups, bringing together an exciting transdisciplinary team across three localities in the UK where we have strong existing partnerships with statutory and non-statutory organisations, to truly co-design interventions targeted at addressing health inequities. In doing so, this research proposal creates a unique opportunity to deliver a transformative place-based approach to integrated service delivery aimed at reducing health inequalities to ensure that the Roma community are not left behind in the government commitment to deliver 'five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035'.
Publications
Fang M
(2025)
Engaging With, Not for: Community-Based Research Towards Inclusive Third Places for Healthy Aging
in Innovation in Aging
Sixsmith J
(2025)
Bridging the Gap: Third Places, Ageing, and Health in UK Roma Communities
in Innovation in Aging
Woolrych R
(2026)
Exploring Healthy Ageing in Place for Roma Communities: Insights from Knowledge Café Workshops in the UK.
in Journal of cross-cultural gerontology
Woolrych, R
(2025)
Co-researching visual and mobile methods with Roma communities: a toolkit.
| Description | Summary of Key Achievements The Roma PlaceAge project is exploring how Roma communities in the UK can be better supported to age well in the places where they live. So far, the project has generated important new knowledge, strengthened community research skills, developed practical tools, and built new partnerships between universities, community organisations and health services. 1. New knowledge about ageing in Roma communities There is very little research on how Roma people experience ageing in the UK. Through 74 in-depth interviews, 34 walking interviews and 14 photo diaries with Roma people aged 40+, the project has created one of the largest qualitative datasets of its kind. Early findings show how strong family networks, cultural traditions and community ties can support wellbeing, but also how discrimination, language barriers, insecure housing and difficulties accessing services contribute to poorer health outcomes. This evidence is helping to make visible experiences that have often been overlooked in research and policy. 2. A new community-led research model A major achievement has been the training of 27 Roma community members as paid community researchers. They were trained in interviewing, listening skills and creative methods such as walking interviews and photography. This approach has built trust and enabled conversations that would not have happened through traditional research methods. It has also shown that community-led research can improve the quality and relevance of data, particularly when working with marginalised groups. We also learned that institutional systems (such as university payment and ethics processes) are often not designed for community co-research. Identifying these barriers is an important "negative result," as it highlights where structural change is needed to support more inclusive research in the future. 3. Practical tools and resources for others The project has produced two open-access training toolkits to support other organisations and researchers to carry out participatory research with Roma communities. These resources share practical guidance on community engagement, visual methods and ethical practice. They are already being used beyond the project and contribute to improved research capability in the wider sector. 4. Strong new partnerships and networks Roma PlaceAge is co-led with Roma civil society organisations in Glasgow, Luton and Peterborough. These partnerships have strengthened links between Roma communities, universities, local authorities, NHS partners and regional research networks. Knowledge café events have brought policymakers and Roma residents into direct dialogue, opening new conversations about service design and integration with health systems. The project has also opened up important new research questions, including how Integrated Place-Based Hubs could better connect community assets with health and social care systems, and how such models can be sustained beyond individual projects. Overall, the award has generated new knowledge, built community research capacity, created transferable resources and strengthened cross-sector partnerships that will support healthier ageing in marginalised communities. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of the Roma PlaceAge project have practical value for community organisations, health and social care providers, policymakers and researchers working with marginalised communities. 1. Informing service design and health policy The evidence generated through interviews, walking interviews and photo diaries provides detailed insight into how Roma people experience ageing, health services and local environments. Local authorities, NHS partners and voluntary sector organisations can use these findings to design more culturally appropriate, accessible and preventative services. For example, the research highlights the importance of trusted intermediaries, multilingual communication and community-based support. These lessons can inform Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and local health improvement strategies, particularly in areas with significant Roma populations. The proposed Integrated Place-Based Hub (IPBH) model, currently being developed through co-design workshops, offers a practical framework that other localities could adapt to better connect community assets (such as grassroots organisations and informal support networks) with statutory health and social care systems. 2. Strengthening community-led research approaches The project has demonstrated that training community members as paid researchers improves trust, access and data quality. The open-access training toolkits provide step-by-step guidance on how to recruit, train and support community researchers, including the use of creative and mobile methods. Other projects working with minoritised or under-represented groups can adapt this model to build local research capacity and ensure lived experience is embedded throughout. Importantly, the project has also surfaced institutional barriers (for example around payment systems and ethics procedures) that can limit inclusive research. By sharing these lessons, other universities and funders can anticipate and address similar challenges. 3. Building sustainable local capacity Twenty-seven Roma community researchers have developed skills in interviewing, facilitation, critical reflection and public engagement. Community partner organisations are already exploring how these skills can be used in future projects, service evaluations and co-design processes. This creates longer-term benefits beyond the lifetime of the award, as local capacity remains within the community. 4. Supporting cross-sector collaboration The knowledge café model used in the project - bringing together Roma residents, NGOs, health professionals and policymakers in structured dialogue - can be replicated in other contexts to break down silos and build shared understanding. This approach has helped strengthen relationships and could be used by other programmes seeking to integrate community assets into health systems. 5. Opening future research and funding opportunities The dataset, partnerships and conceptual work on Integrated Place-Based Hubs provide a foundation for further research, policy pilots and service innovation. The methods and findings are relevant not only to Roma communities but also to other groups experiencing health inequalities linked to place, poverty and discrimination. Overall, the funding has generated practical tools, transferable methods, strengthened partnerships and new evidence that others can directly adapt to improve health equity and community-led service design. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Healthcare Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | Findings from Roma PlaceAge have already been used to inform local dialogue, service thinking and wider research and policy discussions. At a local level, evidence shared through knowledge café workshops in Glasgow, Luton and Peterborough has been discussed directly with local authority officers, NHS representatives, health improvement teams and voluntary sector partners. These discussions have helped raise awareness of the specific barriers older Roma people face in accessing health, housing and social care services, and have begun to shape thinking around more culturally responsive and place-based approaches. Community partner organisations are using emerging findings to reflect on and refine their own service provision, particularly in relation to ageing, informal care and community-based support. The training and mentoring of 27 Roma community researchers has also strengthened local capacity, and these individuals are now contributing to outreach, engagement and advocacy activities within their communities. Nationally and regionally, project findings have been presented through research and policy networks (including NIHR and regional inequalities forums), contributing to wider debates about integrating community assets into health systems and addressing ethnic health inequalities. The work has also informed academic outputs currently under review and in preparation, helping to build the evidence base on ageing in marginalised communities. While the Integrated Place-Based Hub model is still in development, the evidence generated so far is actively shaping the next phase of co-design with policymakers and practitioners, ensuring that future models are grounded in lived experience and real-world service contexts. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Community researcher training - mobile and visual methods |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Led to increased skills building and educational benefits for Roma community researchers. Community researcher model has since been embedded in the delivery of the community renewal trust organisation. Positive outcomes for individuals include employment for Roma community researchers. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32sAeDzJydI&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fromaplaceage.com%2F&... |
| Description | Community researcher training - participatory mapping |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Improved voice, wellbeing and skills development. |
| URL | https://researchportal.hw.ac.uk/en/publications/co-researching-visual-and-mobile-methods-with-roma-c... |
| Description | Community researcher training - research and qualitative methods |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Led to improved confidence, wellbeing and skills amongst Roma community members. Testimonials available on request. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32sAeDzJydI&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fromaplaceage.com%2F&... |
| Title | Community researcher training - mapping workshops |
| Description | Trained 25 Roma community researcher in participatory mapping workshops. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Roma community facilitated workshops at mapping workshops with Roma community members in Peterborough, Luton and Glasgow |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/updates/participatory-mapping-workshops-bringing-roma-voices-to-the-map |
| Title | Community researcher training - research and qualitative methods |
| Description | Community researchers recruited from the Roma community in each of the case study sites. Led to the development of a new training guide. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Trained 19 community researchers from the Roma community. |
| URL | https://researchportal.hw.ac.uk/en/publications/training-guide-for-community-researchers-the-case-of... |
| Title | Community researcher training - visual methods |
| Description | Trained community research in walking interviews and photo diaries. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Improved skills with community researchers. Enhanced qualitative dataset. Case study for the NIHR ARC network. |
| URL | https://pure.hw.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/156528186/RomaPlaceAge_Phase_II_Toolkit_Final.pdf |
| Title | Participatory Mapping Workshops |
| Description | Participatory mapping workshops guides incl questions, templates, and format. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Led to 3 mapping workshops with over 100 Roma community members in Peterborugh, Luton and Glasgow - unique qual dataset on experiences of Roma communities. |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/updates/participatory-mapping-workshops-bringing-roma-voices-to-the-map |
| Title | Photo diaries |
| Description | Photo diary and guide for conducting walking interviews |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Over 100 photo diaries with Roma community members |
| Title | Qualitative interviews |
| Description | Qualitative interviews guide for Roma community members - on healthy ageing. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Led to the collection of over 100 interviews with Roma community members - largest qualitative dataset conducted with Roma |
| Title | Walking interviews |
| Description | Walking interviews agenda and guide |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Over 90 walking interviews with members of the Roma community |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/blog/qlyl11e3rscyuuokb7cfec3oxipgfr-arge4-p5n4a-7stx2 |
| Description | Age-Friendly Summit |
| Organisation | Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We were invited to speak on the PlaceAge project and engaged in a discussion during the event and after to craft a summit statement. https://ageing-better.org.uk/age-friendly-futures-summit |
| Collaborator Contribution | Presentation and contribution to drafting and development of the summit statement. |
| Impact | https://ageing-better.org.uk/news/age-friendly-futures-summit-statement |
| Start Year | 2025 |
| Description | Office of National Statistics - advisory activities |
| Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Several members of the core team - Greenfields, Marinov and Torak are also participating as advisors on a discrete ONS project around the experience of Roma populations in the UK. In addition ONS policy officials involved in that project have now joined our advisory board for this award. Accordingly there is a reciprocal exchange of information which longer-term is anticipated to assist us in leveraging policy impact |
| Collaborator Contribution | Sharing of information / mutual membership of advisory boards on experience of Roma communities. Detailed information available to us or support with analysis of centrally held data eg micro-level Census materials |
| Impact | not at present the ONS led project is still ongoing - involves mixed methods - quants and qualitative data gathering and advisory board meetings for both our award and the ONS study are timetabled to occur on a regular basis. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Building Bridges Through Research: Community Co-Researcher Training |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To communicate findings from our community co-researcher training events. Reported increased interest and awareness. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/blog/building-bridges-through-research-community-co-researcher-training |
| Description | Community Researcher Training Event Phase 1: Luton |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 2 day training event - training community research in coresearch and qualitative methods. Led to increased skills for 4 community researchers trained. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/updates/blog-knowledgecafe-roma |
| Description | Community researcher training event phase 1: Glasgow |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 2 day training event - training community research in coresearch and qualitative methods. Led to increased skills for 10 community researchers trained. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/blog/building-bridges-through-research-community-co-researcher-training |
| Description | Community researcher training event phase 1: Peterborough |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 2 day training event - training community research in coresearch and qualitative methods. Led to increased skills for 5 community researchers trained. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/blog/building-bridges-through-research-community-co-researcher-training |
| Description | Compas Charity's official launch of the RomaPlaceAge Project in Peterborough |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To report on the launch of the project in Peterborough. Led to increased interest and awareness. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/blog/qlyl11e3rscyuuokb7cfec3oxipgfr |
| Description | Healthy Ageing Showcase Event, Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, United Kingdom. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Approx 65 people attended a healthy ageing showcase including policymakers and practitioners, led to questions and debate including follow up contact from Age Scotland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Knowledge Cafe Event Healthy Ageing Roma Community: Luton |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Knowledge cafe bringing together key stakeholders to identify recommendations for supporting healthy ageing for Roma communities. Reported increased interest in the project, further follow up engagement and enhanced knowledge. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://researchportal.hw.ac.uk/en/publications/healthy-ageing-for-roma-communities-in-luton-the-rom... |
| Description | Knowledge Cafe Event Healthy Ageing Roma Community: Peterborough |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Knowledge cafe event aimed at identifying recommendations for supporting healthy ageing for the Roma community. Reported increased interest, new collaborations and future engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://researchportal.hw.ac.uk/en/publications/healthy-ageing-for-roma-communities-in-peterborough-... |
| Description | Knowledge Cafe Event: Healthy Ageing Roma Communities Govanhill |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Knowledge cafe bringing together key stakeholders to identify recommendations for supporting healthy ageing for Roma communities. Reported increased interest in the project, further follow up engagement and enhanced knowledge. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://researchportal.hw.ac.uk/en/publications/healthy-ageing-for-roma-communities-in-govanhill-the... |
| Description | Knowledge Cafés: Fostering Collaboration through Conversations that Matter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To present summary findings from our knowledge cafe events. Reported increased interest and follow up. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/updates/blog-knowledgecafe-roma |
| Description | Participation in DHSC working group July 2024 and follow-up meeting 19 November 2024 to draft a response and guidance to questions raised in that meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Participating by invitation - via Theme Leader - Prof Helen Chatterjee in DHSC working group and discussion on language use/barriers in health and other settings. Subsequently invited to smaller working group drafting a response to questions arising from the meeting submitted to DHSC and other Ministries and aligned to developing Government strategies across multiple areas including health/social care/education/employment and security. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Roma PlaceAge Community Launch Event: Glasgow |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Launch event for the project to engage with wider Roma community, discuss the aims and objectives, invite local residents to talk about their stories. This led to questions, enhanced knowledge about the research and recruitment of community researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/updates/blog-post-rom-romeha |
| Description | Roma PlaceAge Community Launch Event: Peterborough |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Launch event for the project to engage with wider Roma community, discuss the aims and objectives, invite local residents to talk about their stories. This led to questions, enhanced knowledge about the research and recruitment of community researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/blog/qlyl11e3rscyuuokb7cfec3oxipgfr |
| Description | Roma PlaceAge website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | New project website. Led to increased interest/ participation in the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/ |
| Description | RomaPlaceAge Launch in Govanhill, Glasgow |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Summary of the Roma PlaceAge launch in Govanhill. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://romaplaceage.com/updates/blog-post-rom-romeha |