Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales in association with Together for Change bring you a seminar series designed for anyone in a community or working with communities who would like to use research as a tool for action.
The fully funded online and in-person sessions are a chance to learn about what community-led action research is, get up to speed with some basic research and project management skills and explore what collaboration with academics and policy makers could mean for your community.
Please book onto each individual session you are interested in via the links below and remember to sign up to the seminar series news alerts online.
We will record every session that is appropriate to and make available on our Vimeo channel.
If you have any questions or suggestions for a session theme that would be helpful, please email post@tfc.cymru.
Introduction to community-led action research
Multi-solving for climate action – a practical workshop for communities
Join Dr Sophie Wynne-Jones and Dr Elen Bonner from Bangor University to understand how leading with co-benefits can build a foundation for deeper climate engagement in your area. Some benefits of cutting greenhouse gas emissions are lower bills, healthier homes, better transport options, thriving nature and culture, and stronger local economies but are these talked about enough?
This workshop will explore how greenhouse gas emission reductions can occur as a consequence of meeting everyday needs, rather than as an upfront selling point, so that climate-friendly behaviours can be normalised by making them practical and attractive. Our speakers will share examples of how working with communities to establish local priorities is key to how rural areas can exercise climate leadership in ways that are both effective and socially accepted. By starting from local experience, contexts, histories, and priorities, initiatives are able to design interventions that feel relevant and achievable.
Through practical activities, participants will:
– Re-examine existing projects to identify their hidden social, economic and environmental value, strengthening the case for action.
– Consider building stronger local partnerships.
– Identify where communicating differently could have a positive impact.
Participants will leave with practical tools, new perspectives, and clear next steps to incorporate multi-solution climate action into their daily work.
14/10/2026, 13:00 – 14:30
Perceptions of Growth and the benefits of Town Partnerships: Case Studies from across the UK
Join Dr Sophie Bennett-Gillison (Aberystwyth University), Dr Eifiona Thomas Lane (Bangor University) and Julie Gibbon (Chairman, Haltwhistle Partnership https://haltwhistle.org) who will provide new insights into what ‘growth’ actually means from their latest research in Wales and Northumberland, and how growth can be achieved through community/town partnerships.
The Government is always talking about encouraging economic growth, but who’s idea of growth is that, and do different people see growth differently? Julie will explain how the Haltwhistle Partnership, which aims to support and invest in community enterprises and activities in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, has benefitted the town. Sophie and Eifiona will talk about how the type of growth required to nurture enterprises in rural regions across the UK should not focus narrowly on jobs, turnover or productivity, but include local capacity for business start-ups, local service provision, and increased quality and survival among local businesses. Growth can be about constant improvement to avoid going ‘backwards’ as well as growth meaning ‘doing better’ not ‘doing more’.
This seminar will involve a ‘troubleshooting’ discussion where community members can bring examples of growth, or the potential for growth, from their own towns to discuss with panel members who can offer insights for how to cultivate alternative growth models and create or maintain town partnerships.
Seven types of growth were identified in the research:
– Growth as community-building
– Bottom-up growth coming from the community and combined with the survival of the place, including its culture, people and traditions.
– Growth as maintenance & survival encompassing Lifestyle businesses.
– Growth through Opportunity focused on the population and being able to retain or attract young people in these towns.
– Foundational Growth so people to feel pride, hope and belonging in relation to their places.
– Sustainable growth as long-term, maintained, sustainable, environmentally friendly and ‘future’ oriented.
09/09/2026 12:30 – 14:00, online
Previous Events
What is Community-led Action Research – Designing and Doing Seminar
This seminar will give a broad overview of ‘Community-led research’, what it is, why we do it, how we do it and some of the challenges. Join us to understand more about what community led research is and how to use it. The 1-hour seminar will be online in English with simultaneous translation into Cymraeg. It will involve presentations mixed with discussions.
28/01/26 12:30 – 13:30
with Amy Nicholass LPIP Community-led Research Facilitator and Jessie Buchanan, Director from Together for Change
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Survey tips Seminar
A survey is often the first thing that comes to mind for community research, but is it al-ways right and how do you make sure that your survey is effective? This seminar will cover thinking about when a survey is appropriate and what type of survey to do; sampling, recruiting participants and ensuring that the survey results are robust; structuring a survey and writing good questions; and analysing survey results.
25/02/26 12:30 – 13:30
with Prof Mike Woods from Aberystwyth University and Amy Nicholass, LPIP Community-led Research Facilitator from Together for Change
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Interview Tips and Communication Skills Full Day Workshop
This full day, in-person workshop with simultaneous translation will give you an overview of the role that interviews play within research, when and how to use them. It is an opportunity to improve your key interviewing skills in a practical interactive way including active listening, non-leading question design and ethics. There will be practical elements as well as reflection and sharing experiences. This workshop will be conducted in Cymraeg with simultaneous translation. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
14/01/26 10:00 – 15:30
with Amy Nicholass, LPIP Community-led Research Facilitator and Jessie Buchanan, Director from Together for Change and Elen Bonner from Bangor University. Venue: Trigonos, Plas Baladeulyn, Nantlle
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Interview Tips and Communication Skills Full Day Workshop
This full day, in-person workshop with simultaneous translation will give you an overview of the role that interviews play within research, when and how to use them. It is an opportunity to improve your key interviewing skills in a practical interactive way including active listening, non-leading question design and ethics. There will be practical elements as well as reflection and sharing experiences. The session will be bilingual and translation will be provided. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
13/03/26 09:30 – 16:00
with Jessie Buchanan, Director of Together for Change and Elen Bonner from Bangor University. Venue: Yr Egin, Carmarthen.
Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis Seminar
What do you do with responses from interviews, focus groups and open-ended survey questions? In this seminar you will be guided through how to create transcripts from audio recordings and how to identify themes and patterns in your responses. We will also touch on ethical considerations when using this kind of data and leave time for questions. This 90-minute online seminar will have simultaneous translation from English to Cymraeg.
20/01/26 12:30 – 14:00
with Amy Nicholass, Community-led Research Facilitator from Together for Change and Prof Thora Tenbrink from Bangor University.
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Qualitative Data Analysis Practice – Worked Examples
This is a chance to work through some examples of qualitative data and have a go yourself at coding the information, identifying themes and recording this for research.
– LPIP Thematic analysis in practice
Example data to practice with (coming soon):
– LPIP – Llanidloes I7 – community member (Word)
– LPIP – Llangefni I1 – Business (Word)
– Llangefni T4 policymaker (Word)
– LPIP Qualitatve data examples sheet (Excel)
Introduction to Using Existing Data Sources in Your Research Seminar
Understanding how to use existing data such as census data can help you find out how representative your survey results are compared to the general population in your area. Other ways of looking at data such as the Wales Community Assets Index which makes use of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation can help you put your research into a broader context of approaches to tackling place-based inequalities. In this seminar we will introduce you to navigating and using census data and how the Assets Index could inform your research. This 1-hour online session will be delivered in English with simultaneous translation into Cymraeg.
09/02/26 12:30 – 13:30
with Amy Nicholass, Community-led Research Facilitator from Together for Change, Dr Lucy Baker from Aberystwyth University and Eleri Williams from Building Communities Trust.
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Most Significant Change In-person Full Day Workshop
Most Significant Change (MSC) is an approach that involves the gathering of stories about changes in people’s lives – stories that highlight a change for a person, why it mattered to them and what made it possible. The stories are then discussed by those involved in policy making and policy implementation to consider the implications for the planning and delivery of a service or activity. This is a useful qualitative data collection technique and evaluation tool for research where change has taken place. This training will be delivered in English with simultaneous translation into Cymraeg. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
11/02/26 10:00 – 15:30
at Haverhub, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire with Jessie Buchanan, Director and Karen Chandler MSC Facilitator from Together for Change
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Being Welcoming Seminar
When you are delivering a community project, how do you think about getting everyone involved who wants to be, so that everyone’s voice is heard? In this seminar we will talk about what inclusion means and give you some practical tips on making events friendly for disabled people, people with learning disabilities, and autistic people. This 1-hour online session will be delivered in English with simultaneous translation into Cymraeg. It will have a presentation and facilitated reflection time individually and as a group.
16/03/26 12:30 – 14:00
with Amy Nicholass, Community-led Research Facilitator from Together for Change Dr Emma Shephard from Aberystwyth University
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Introduction to Co-production Part 1 – Underpinning Values Seminar
In this session we will explore what co-production is and isn’t, where it fits within a broader spectrum of engagement and participation approaches, and when and where it can add tremendous value to your work and projects. We will share some definitions and models and illustrate them through examples of practice. It will be an interactive session, with sharing content as well as time for Q&A and discussions, so there will be plenty of opportunities to connect the co-production theory and frameworks with your current practice.
1 hour online seminar in English with Welsh simultaneous translation with Co-Production Lab Wales.
11/03/26 12:30 – 13:30
with Amy Nicholass, Community-led Research Facilitator from Together for Change and Noreen Blunt from Co-Production Lab Wales.
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Introduction to Co-production Part 2: Action planning to put co-production values into practice seminar
This session will build on the first, so please ensure you have attended or watched the recording online. We will translate the theoretical models of co-production into practical applications, with a conversation built around our “first steps to co-production” template. This will enable us to think together about how you can put co-production values into practice in your specific contexts, learning from the presenter as well as from other participants’ examples.
1 hour online seminar in English with Welsh simultaneous translation with Co-Production Lab Wales.
26/03/26 12:30 – 13:30
with Amy Nicholass, Community-led Research Facilitator from Together for Change and Noreen Blunt from Co-Production Lab Wales.
Introduction to Citizen Science
This seminar will provide an introduction and overview of citizen science including real world examples and top tips. We have three guest speakers.
Chloe Griffiths is a Consultant Ecologist currently doing a PhD on what motivates people to take part in Citizen Science to record wildlife. She has run a wildlife recording project in the village of Penparcau, Aberystwyth, for a decade, and together the group has made over 13,000 records of the local plants and animals
James Cass, Biosffer Dyfi Manager will share his experiences of the Dyfi Biosphere Screams and Streams community led action research project funded by LPIP and how citizen scientists collected water quality data and monitored visiting swifts.
Dr Nick Hacking from the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University has published research papers about citizen science and will share some of his top dos and don’ts.
VIEW PDF SLIDES
Communities Resisting Division – introduction to practical impact toolkit
More information coming soon.
Telling a story with data
More information coming soon.