COMMUNITY RESEARCH SAFARI: Brings Moray Together to Explore Research, Place and Connection
- Abbie McCallum
- Feb 20
- 4 min read
On the 21st of November 2025, members of the Moray Community Research Network set off on a unique journey: a full-day Community Research Safari designed to explore the landscapes, organisations, and people that shape community-led research across our region. From Forres to Lossiemouth, through Elgin and Buckie, and on to Aberlour, the Safari invited participants to experience Moray in motion — travelling together, learning together, and deepening their understanding of what community research can look like in practice.
The Safari was created as part of our commitment to embedding CHIME values — Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning, and Empowerment — into every aspect of CRN activity. The day blended hands-on learning with real-world experience, offering a balance of structured activities and spontaneous conversations as the group moved between locations. For many, the journey itself became one of the most memorable learning tools: seeing Moray’s landscapes change, hearing stories from different localities, and meeting people rooted in each place.
A Day Designed for Connection and Discovery
“Amazing event. I felt connected with my peers and got to explore research skills I had forgotten.”
Participants were welcomed with journals for reflection, along with opportunities to experiment with various ways to document their experience, including photography, audio recording, and digital tools. Throughout the journey, conversations sparked naturally — on the bus, over lunch, during short walks, and while visiting community projects. People from varied backgrounds, interests, and organisations found themselves connecting in ways that don’t always happen
in traditional workshop settings.
The group visited initiatives demonstrating creativity, community-building, and intergenerational engagement. From early years activities with Earthtime for All at Parklands care home in Buckie to arts-based projects with M:ADE in Cooper Park, Elgin, and from lived experience leadership to peer-support approaches, the Safari highlighted the richness and diversity of community work across Moray. Participants were encouraged to think about how these examples related to mental wealth, how communities build resilience, and how research can help capture and support what is already working.
For many, this journey offered rare insight into the different identities and needs that make up Moray’s social landscape — coastal towns, rural villages, care communities, creative spaces, and more. Being physically present in these places prompted reflection on local strengths, barriers, and opportunities that classroom learning cannot replicate.
What Participants Told Us
“Really enjoyed today. The best thing is that you are trying things and learning if they work or don't.”
Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive. Participants described the Safari as uplifting, energising, inspiring, friendly, and deeply enjoyable. Several said they met people they “wouldn’t have met otherwise” and that the event made them feel more connected to Moray’s wider research community. Others said they felt reinvigorated to contribute to local projects or more confident in their understanding of community-led research.
People also valued experimenting with documentation methods. Many noted they had tried new tools they could use in their work, and others rediscovered research skills they hadn’t used in a while. The blend of creativity, reflection, and practical learning clearly resonated.
Importantly, the day wasn’t just about techniques — it was about belonging. The Safari created a sense of shared purpose and collective curiosity, bringing together researchers, volunteers, community connectors, panel members, and residents with lived experience. In-person contact, shared travel time, and a spirit of openness helped forge relationships that can strengthen the network well beyond
the event.
Learning From the Day
Participants also shared thoughtful suggestions that will help shape future CRN events. Several noted that the ambitious schedule would benefit from more breaks, rest, and reflection spaces. A small number highlighted the need for quieter spaces or a slower pace, demonstrating the importance of designing events that support different sensory and accessibility needs.
Others asked how future activities could more actively include people from ethnic minority backgrounds or offer multilingual options—an important reminder of the need for inclusive engagement practices as the network continues to grow.
These reflections will directly inform how future Safaris, gatherings, and training sessions are planned.
Building Momentum for the Future
“I see why I really need to join the network. I am extremely motivated to be involved in the research network.”
The Safari was designed not only as a standalone event, but as part of a longer-term effort to build confidence, skills, and curiosity across the Community Research Network. Early evaluation showed strong increases in part
icipants’ confidence in knowing what community research is, discussing it with others, and feeling able to contribute to it in meaningful ways.
A follow-up impact survey will be sent to attendees later in the year to understand what has carried forward from the experience — whether new partnerships emerged, whether people joined CRN groups, and what ideas or actions grew from the conversations on the day.
A Shared Journey That Continues
“Doing that Safari event is one of the best things I've done in years in my social work career… It was so innovative… One of the most uplifting things was sitting beside somebody with lived and living experience… I really valued that event, and I felt really connected.”
The Safari has already become a point of inspiration for future CRN activity. It demonstrated how powerful place-based learning can be, how energising hands-on exploration feels, and how vital it is to create opportunities where people from different backgrounds can learn and reflect together.
Most of all, it showed that community research is not just about methods or data — it’s about people, stories, lived experience, and the places we share.
The Moray Community Research Network extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, shared their reflections, supported activities, and helped shape a day full of learning and connection. Plans are already forming for future Safaris and related events, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.
Special thanks to our photographer: Alexander Williamson
Partners making it happen: Moray Wellbeing Hub, Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Moray Art Development Engagement (M:ADE), tsiMORAY, Science Ceilidh, Arrows (Quarriers), Earthtime for All, Grampian Regional Equalities Council (GREC), and The Three Kings Cullen Association. Funded by: The Young Foundation and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)