Events

Events & Forums

Community Forum 6: Creative Methods Data Collection

community, group, people

Held in Sept 2025 across the fieldsites.

Contact [email protected] for details on how book.

Community Forum 7: Creative Methods Data Collection

community, group, people

Held in Oct-Nov 2025 across the fieldsites.

Contact [email protected] for details on how book.

Community Forum 8: Creative Methods Data Collection

community, group, people

Held in Nov/Dec/Jan 2025-2026 across the fieldsites.

Contact [email protected] for details on how book.

Community Forum 8

Barnet
Image Copyright: – Runa Lazzarino project team member
Image Copyright: – Runa Lazzarino project team member

Zine Making

The CF8 Zine Making Community Forum in Barnet brought people together to creatively explore food, wellbeing and everyday life. Through an accessible, welcoming workshop, participants were introduced to zines as simple, hand‑made visual stories using drawing, words and imagination. Warm‑up activities with fruits and vegetables encouraged conversation, playfulness and reflection, before moving into personal six‑page zines.

Using prompts around memory, home and joy, participants shared stories about food access, preparation and nutrition in Barnet. The session supported expression across languages and abilities, strengthening connection, confidence and community voice through 12 completed zines. 

Image Copyright: – Runa Lazzarino project team member
Image Copyright: – Runa Lazzarino project team member

ArtRefuge – Building Connection Through Creativity

The CF8 Creative Methods Community Forum in Islington, facilitated by ArtRefuge, brought people together to explore lived experiences using the Community Table method. Participants reflected on housing, wellbeing and access to essential services by drawing, building and sharing stories in a supportive group setting.

The forum creates space for both practical insights and emotional expression, recognising that issues like accommodation are deeply connected to safety, belonging and identity. By combining creative play with discussion, CF8 captured rich, person‑centred research data while fostering peer connection, reflection and collective understanding within the local community. 

Image Copyright: – Runa Lazzarino project team member
Image Copyright: – Runa Lazzarino project team member

Mixed method Community Forum

The CF8 Method health-focused community forum in Greenwich and Lewisham brought statutory, third sector and lived experience partners together to identify best practice across food, housing/accommodation and access to services. Through presentations from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham Council’s Borough of Sanctuary, LRMN, Royal Borough of Greenwich Housing, and Borough of Sanctuary officers, participants shared learning and momentum.

Breakout roundtables enabled power analysis, identified barriers to effective partnership, and produced collaborative health maps of NHS primary care assets, local authority strengths, governance and data. Using SWOT thinking, stakeholders highlighted priority interventions, including stronger cross-borough integration and improved awareness. 

Image: copyright Rebecca Osborne Studios Ltd - https://www.rebeccaosborne.co.uk/
Image: copyright Rebecca Osborne Studios Ltd - https://www.rebeccaosborne.co.uk/

Food, Community and Belonging

The CF8 Cooking Community Forum in Norwich brought people together to explore how food shapes health, wellbeing and belonging. Through creative activities like Food Memory Maps and food sentiment cards, participants reflected on foods from home, current diets, and the emotions food carries in everyday life.

A shared lunch created space for open conversations about cooking, affordability, cultural preferences and dietary changes since arriving in England. The session highlighted food as more than nourishment – it is connection, dignity and care. Fresh, home‑grown food emerged as a key source of both physical health and emotional wellbeing, making this final Norwich creative method data collection session engaging, thoughtful and deeply human. 

Image Copyright Egle Dagilyte - project team member
Image Copyright Egle Dagilyte - project team member

Healthy Aging

The Healthy Ageing focussed Community Forums held in Ipswich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft brought people together to share lived experiences of ageing, work and health in a supportive and creative setting. Through guided discussions and visual activities, participants reflect on their life journeys and access to services such as healthcare, housing, education, transport and legal advice.

The forums are carefully designed as creative research, capturing individual voices, stories and insights that generate valuable qualitative data. By listening closely to participants, the fora built a deeper understanding of what shapes healthy ageing and how services can better support diverse local communities.

cf8_col_cam_pet_ip

Deep Dive Community Forums: Listening, Learning, Improving Access

Four CF8 deep dive community forums were held: in Cambridge (Syrians), Colchester (people from Hong Kong), Ipswich (Romanians) and Peterborough (Afghans). These small, in‑person sessions, supported by interpreters, created safe and welcoming spaces for participants to share personal experiences.

The forums captured rich research insights into migration journeys and access to key services, with a strong focus on health and wellbeing. Discussions explored housing, education, transport, legal advice and community support, highlighting what helps or hinders good health. By amplifying individual voices, the forums strengthened understanding and inform the project of needs of these research groups. 

Community Forum 7

Islington and Barnet
Image Copyright: Runa Lazzarino project team member
Image Copyright: Runa Lazzarino project team member

Celebrating Community Voices

The recent CF7 events in Islington and Barnet brought together migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from diverse communities to share their experiences and ideas for improving NHS care. Through engaging World Café discussions, participants explored how technology, community‑based support and illness prevention can shape a healthier future.

Guided by ICB and public health facilitators, each group contributed thoughtful insights captured on shared flipcharts. Lively conversations, collaborative problem‑solving and a warm sense of connection defined both days—each ending with a communal lunch celebrating cultural diversity. These events highlighted the power of inclusive dialogue in shaping better, more accessible healthcare.

Image Copyright: Eglė Dagilytė project team member
Image Copyright: Eglė Dagilytė project team member

Life Collage Workshops

Our CF7 life collage workshops in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich and Norwich brought together migrants and refugees to creatively explore their journeys in the UK. Through colourful “Road of Life” collages, participants reflected on key life events and their experiences accessing health, education, housing and other services.

The sessions were filled with energy, empathy and shared understanding, as individuals expressed their stories through images and discussion. These creative moments not only built community but also generated rich research insights into the barriers and facilitators shaping people’s health and wellbeing. A warm, vibrant atmosphere inspired connection, reflection and hope for the future. Some of the outputs from the Ipswich were used in an art exhibition (see blog section of website)

Image Copyright: Chantal Radley project team member
Image Copyright: Chantal Radley project team member

A Celebration of Culture and Connection

The CF7 Cooking Community Forum in Cambridge brought people together for a lively, hands-on cooking session designed to generate lived experiences and discussion on the project topic of food. After a warm welcome and a quick introduction to food hygiene, participants formed groups to prepare a rich variety of soups from around the world, including Ukrainian buckwheat, Syrian lentil and Afghan noodle.

Conversations around food flowed naturally as people shared ingredients, personal recipes, and cultural stories. Many arrived with their own ideas—some even with their own ingredients—creating an empowering atmosphere. The session ended with a shared lunch, leaving everyone inspired, connected and excited to return.

Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

Building Connection Through Creativity

At the CF7 Community Forum in Colchester and Wethersfield, ArtRefuge brought people together a vibrant mix of Syrian, Hong Kong and Ukrainian participants for a warm, creative and uplifting day. Guided by Art Refuge, the session used hands-on artistic activities created space for meaningful conversations, encouraged storytelling, reflection and shared experiences. As people created, they opened up about their life journeys, hopes and feelings of belonging.

Powerful emotions emerged, alongside gratitude for the welcome they’ve received in the UK. The theme of connection was central—through schools, work, food, families, learning, friendships —in shaping a sense of belonging in local communities. The forum showcased how creativity nurtures trust, confidence and meaningful community bonds.

Creating Ground

Creative Methods in Action

The CF7 Community Forum in Greenwich, facilitated by Creating Ground, brought residents together through an energising, low‑language drama workshop. Using warm‑ups, body “images,” and small‑group tableaux, participants explored experiences of health, care, and community support in a welcoming, inclusive space.

The embodied approach helped everyone contribute equally, regardless of language level, while surfacing powerful insights about listening, access and navigating services. Though fast‑paced and dynamic, the session created meaningful connections and highlighted opportunities for improving local health pathways. This creative, collaborative process continues to shape ideas for positive change across the community.

Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

Building Healthy Futures with LEGO®

The Creative Methods CF7 community forum in Lewisham, facilitated by Camilla Gordon, brought together participants from diverse backgrounds together for a dynamic LEGO®-based workshop. Through a gentle, phased process, participants explored identity, shared what keeps them healthy, and imagined their “ideal healthy world.”

Individual models were combined into a vibrant macro‑model, highlighting the importance of family, community, nature, good nutrition, and accessible mental‑health support. Using playful creativity, the group co‑designed pathways toward a fairer, more supportive health system—showing how imaginative methods can spark connection, confidence, and collective insight

Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

A Taste of Community in Peterborough

The CF7 Community Forum in Peterborough brought people together through a creative zine/mini booklet‑making workshop that explored food, memory, and culture. Participants used art, storytelling, and shared discussion to reflect on meaningful dishes and personal food traditions. With supportive guidance and accessible materials, everyone produced beautifully intricate booklets that sparked conversation and connection.

People drew and shared memories, engaged in lively cultural exchange, laughter, and moments of reflection. The activity not only celebrated creativity but also demonstrated how food can offer a safe, joyful space for community bonding, wellbeing, and mutual understanding. 

Community Forum 6

Barnet
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

Barnet CF6

Barnet’s sixth Community Forum was facilitated by Hear Me Out. It brought together migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers for a vibrant half‑day poetry and lyric‑writing workshop. Guided by skilled music practitioners and a poet‑facilitator, participants explored health and wellbeing through discussion, metaphor, and creative expression.

Structured group conversations grounded the session in real experiences, which then seamlessly inspired collaboratively written verses and a shared chorus. The process created space for confidence, openness, and connection, with participants reporting renewed energy and enjoyment. The workshop also highlighted the powerful role of social and creative activity in supporting community wellbeing. The final song is now in production.

Image Copyright: Runa Lazzarino project team member
Image Copyright: Runa Lazzarino project team member

Songwriting for Connection

The sixth Islington Community Forum, facilitated by Hear Me Out, brought migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers together for a vibrant half‑day songwriting workshop. The session offered a welcoming space for participants of all language levels to reflect on their journeys, share memories, and explore the places and services that support their wellbeing in Islington.

Through open discussion and creative collaboration, the group crafted and recorded an original chorus and verses, transforming personal stories into a powerful shared song. The workshop highlighted songwriting’s unique ability to build community, inspire confidence, and celebrate resilience within Islington’s diverse migrant communities.

Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

Zine Making

The Greenwich Community Forum 6 zine workshop was a joyful celebration of creativity, connection and cultural expression. Working in a small group created a warm, supportive space where migrants, asylum seekers and refugees could relax, experiment and share stories. Simple, colourful materials and playful drawing games helped everyone join in confidently, leading to seven vibrant zines filled with memories, humour and personal journeys.

Food became a powerful lens for belonging, identity and wellbeing, sparking conversations about home, resilience and community. This hands‑on session beautifully showed how small creative activities can nurture confidence, ease stress and strengthen local bonds. The event was hosted by Creating Ground at the GWEST Community and Arts Centre.

Image Copyright: Runa Lazzarino project team member
Image Copyright: Runa Lazzarino project team member

Zine Making

The Lewisham Community Forum 6 zine workshop showed how simple, hands‑on creativity can spark real wellbeing. Working with eight participants, the session created a warm, low‑pressure space where language and background took a back seat to shared making. Playful drawing games, colourful materials, and guided storyboarding kept energy high and anxiety low, helping everyone create their own six‑panel zine.

Conversations flowed naturally—from memories of food to cultural knowledge—turning the workshop into a moment of connection and peer learning. The session highlighted how small creative activities can offer relief, spark pride, and strengthen community bonds for migrants and refugees.

Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

Zine Making

Our sixth community forum sessions in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich and Norwich were full of creativity and connection as participants crafted personal health‑journey zines. Bringing together migrants and refugees for a creative, these reflective zine‑making workshops were led by Lottie. During these sessions, participants explored what health means to them, mapped their experiences, and created personal zines capturing their journeys with UK healthcare.

Using drawing, collage and writing, they shared challenges, moments of support and positive change, and advice for others arriving in the UK. The zines sparked thoughtful conversations and allowed everyone to contribute at their own pace and became powerful tools for storytelling, connection and shared understanding.

Image Copyright: Chantal Radley project team member
Image Copyright: Chantal Radley project team member

Celebrating Creativity and Community – ArtRefuge

Our recent Community Forum 6 workshops, facilitated by ArtRefuge,  brought together participants from diverse backgrounds to explore their journeys through an inviting, hands‑on creative session. The accessible design enabled everyone—regardless of language ability—to engage fully.

All participants connected deeply with the tactile materials, using them to model homes that represented cherished memories, current realities, and inspiring future ambitions. Many shared stories of family, resilience and entrepreneurial dreams, expressing a strong desire to shape their own futures. The atmosphere was warm, collaborative and reflective, with creativity offering a powerful pathway for communication, grounding, and hope.

Image Copyright: Catherine Kennelly project team member
Image Copyright: Catherine Kennelly project team member

Food & cooking 

In our Colchester fieldsite, participants  hosted by Together we Grow CIC  gathered for a joyful day of harvesting, cooking and connection food from the land and collaboratively working in cross‑cultural teams, everyone gathered fresh produce, planned a meal, and cooked together while sharing stories for our research on food, wellbeing and belonging. Many loved discovering the garden, meeting new friends and reconnecting with the outdoors. The balanced‑diet activity sparked lively conversation and reflection—rounding off a wonderfully uplifting and memorable day.

Findings emphasised how critical ‘green’ & food-related community assets are for supporting wellbeing and belonging. 

MigRefHealth Logo

Community Forum 5

Community Forum 5 were stakeholder events that showcased the MigRefHealth project’s progress and initial findings. Partners and community researchers shared progress on mapping local assets and exploring barriers to food, housing, and services.

Findings reveal systemic challenges—high food costs, poor housing conditions, and fragmented health services—alongside cultural and social strengths, such as faith spaces and community hubs fostering wellbeing. Stakeholders were invited to collaborate in shaping practical models for integrated care and amplifying good practice.

Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer
Image Copyright: Mary Humphries www.maryhumphrey.co.uk – MigRefHealth project team photographer

Community Forum 4: Storytelling Workshops 

CF4 was a dynamic, participatory session led by storyteller Sef Townsend, designed to explore themes of home, belonging, security, and community among migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Participants engaged in language exchange, personal introductions, singing, and listened to a folktale before reflecting on their own lived experience through group drawing.

The activity fostered intercultural dialogue and highlighted the value of creative, community-building experiences for wellbeing and resilience. It offered a safe, imaginative space for relaxation and positive mindset development, underscoring the importance of social prescribing and place-making in supporting migrant integration and mental health.

Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team

Community Forum 3: Focus groups

The asset data collection continued with the third community forum. This event differed as community partners focussed on reaching out and inviting the core fieldsite nationalities that had not attended the previous community forum or launch. A significant amount of effort was made to make contact and meet with the ‘hard to reach’ communities. Each fieldsite team, while aiming to achieve the same outcome, all found different ways to do this.

From online discussions, outreach to existing community events to making those personal connections with new-found groups. The result was that more asset use information was gained from those whose voice had not previously been heard by the project and relationship building with the teams. An unexpected outcome came from this new connection for one of the nationality groups, the team helped them to a successful grant application to support their future as a group.

Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image copyright: N.Bignell – MigRefHealth project team
Image copyright: N.Bignell – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: R. Lazzarino – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: C. Kennelly – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: C. Kennelly – MigRefHealth project team

Community Forum 2: Focus groups

In CF2, participants recruited from our core project nationality communities (plus 1 EU and 1 non-EU nationality) took part in a mapping activity where they explored local assets and shared experiences of using them. They discussed places linked to health, housing, and food—where they go for wellbeing, advice, or support, and the barriers they face. Around the table, they talked about open spaces, cooking facilities, and access to ingredients or food banks.

The aim was to understand what helps people feel well and connected, and what challenges make life harder. By sharing openly, participants contributed to a bigger picture of community needs and resources, helping identify gaps and opportunities for better support. During this community forum we identified participants willing to take part in walking interviews with the newly trained Community Co-Researchers who also joined in with this CF and helped with translation.

Image Copyright: C. Kennelly – MigRefHealth project team
Image Copyright: C. Kennelly – MigRefHealth project team
Image copyright: E. Dagliyte – MigRefHealth project team
Image copyright: E. Dagliyte – MigRefHealth project team
Image copyright: N.Bignell – MigRefHealth project team
Image copyright: N.Bignell – MigRefHealth project team

Community Forum 1: Project launches

The CF1 launch events covering all 12 fieldsites introduced our UKRI/AHRC-funded project, aimed at reducing health inequalities among refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant communities, to a breadth of stakeholders and potential participants with lived experience invited by our community partners. Spanning North and South London and the East of England, the project involves 19 academic and community partners. Attendees learned that key data-gathering activities will include establishing Community Forums, recruiting and training Community Co-Researchers, and using creative methodologies to map local resources and barriers. 

The research will focus on accommodation, food, and support services, with findings informing system change and capacity building. Stakeholders and participants will play a vital role in shaping the project models, right from the start they were invited to contribute insights, share data, and participate in collaborative mapping to co-create healthier, more inclusive communities.

Past Events

Community Forum 6

17th July 2025  | Lewisham Community Forum 6

14th July 2025  | Islington Community Forum 6

11th July 2025  | Norwich Community Forum 5

3rd July 2025  | Greenwich Community Forum 5

2rd July 2025  | Lewisham Community Forum 5

24th June 2025  | Colchester Community Forum 5

24th June 2025  | Wethersfield Community Forum 5

12th June 2025  | Cambridge Community Forum 5

11th June 2025  | Peterborough Community Forum 5

9th June 2025  | Gt Yarmouth Community Forum 5

9th June 2025  | Lowestoft Community Forum 5

4th June 2025  | Ipswich Community Forum 5

3rd June 2025  | Barnet Community Forum 5

2nd June 2025  | Islington Community Forum 5

11th June 2025  | Norwich Community Forum 4

13th May 2025  | Peterborough Community Forum 4

9th May 2025  | Gt Yarmouth Community Forum 4

8th May 2025  | Lowestoft Community Forum 4

6th May 2025  | Greenwich Community Forum 4

2nd May 2025  | Lewisham Community Forum 4

30th April 2025  | Barnet Community Forum 4

29th April 2025  | Islington Community Forum 4

24th April 2025  | Colchester Community Forum 4

23rd April 2025  | Wethersfield Community Forum 4

3rd April 2025  | Cambridge Community Forum 4

2nd April 2025  | Ipswich Community Forum 4

7th April 2025  | Gt Yarmouth Community Forum 3

6th April 2025  | Lowestoft Community Forum 3

22nd April 2025  | Lewisham Community Forum 3

17th April 2025  | Greenwich Community Forum 3

3rd April 2025  | Cambridge Community Forum 3

6th March 2025  | Barnet Community Forum 3

5th March 2025  | Ipswich Community Forum 3

26th February 2025  | Norwich Community Forum 3

13th February 2025  | Wethersfield Community Forum 3

11th February 2025  | Colchester Community Forum 3

3rd February 2025  | Peterborough Community Forum 3

28th January 2025  | Islington Community Forum 3

2nd February 2025  | Wethersfield Community Forum 2

22nd January 2025  | Norwich Community Forum 2

21st January 2025  | Lowestoft Community Forum 2

20th January 2025  | Gt Yarmouth Community Forum 2

15th January 2025  | Ipswich Community Forum 2

17th December 2024  | Greenwich Community Forum 2

12th December 2024  | Colchester Community Forum 2

10th December 2024  | Barnet Community Forum 2

3rd December 2024  | Lewisham Community Forum 2

2nd December 2024  | Islington Community Forum 2

13th November 2024  | Peterborough Community Forum 2

12th November 2024  | Cambridge Community Forum 2

5th November 2024  |  MigRefHealth Lowestoft Launch – EELGA SMP

4th November 2024  |  MigRefHealth Great Yarmouth Launch – EELGA SMP

3rd October 2024  |  MigRefHealth Peterborough Launch – EELGA SMP

15th October 2024  |  MigRefHealth Colchester Launch – EELGA SMP

17th September 2024  |  MigRefHealth Cambridge Launch – EELGA SMP