CRN South London's Direct Delivery Team promotes research in Peckham

CRN South London's Direct Delivery Team delivered a bi-lingual presentation at a community organisation to promote an NIHR-supported study aimed at helping women who have given birth manage weight. Our Clinical Research Nurse, Alba Vega Viyuela, provides an update about how the day went.

We were invited by LOVO, a non-profit organisation, to give a talk about research and promote the Supporting MumS (SMS) study and NIHR online platforms. The LOVO is a women's organisation which is aiming to be there for women in need, supporting their health and wellbeing and helping them recognise their strengths and abilities.

We did a presentation to increase research knowledge among community members and invite women to participate in the SMS study. We delivered the presentation in English and Spanish, as two Spanish-speaking women did not understand English. It is a positive way to approach these vulnerable women who do not speak English because they might have felt excluded if we did not translate the talk.

The SMS study is funded by the NIHR and a number of general practices are operating as patient identification centres in south London. It is a randomised clinical trial looking at the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of text messaging in helping women who gave birth to manage weight.

We began by showing a map of our scope in south London. We explained what the NIHR is, what the Direct Delivery Team does and how we work in partnership with health and care organisations. We then explained that our priority is to facilitate and support research across broader settings and deliver research in community settings such as care homes, hospices, prisons, schools and other social care and public health environments.

After that, we showed a short video about some participants' research experiences and discussed why research is important to the community. We spoke about how people can participate in research, and we introduced NIHR online platforms, such as Be Part of Research, Join Dementia Research, NIHR BioResource and People in Research. We also shared leaflets on common conditions among women, such as menopause, breast cancer and incontinence.

We were happy with how the talk went. We had positive feedback from the attendees, saying they enjoyed the presentation and they now have a clearer understanding of research. Some of them told us that they know some women who could be interested in taking part in the SMS trial, and they will help us share leaflets about the study with them.

Attending events in the community is a great way to raise awareness of our team. By doing that, we show that research is accessible and that we are part of the community.

The NIHR's Your Path in Research campaign highlights how people can make research part of their career. Find out more on the NIHR's website.

Pictured left to right Direct Delivery Team members: Millie Davis, Jasmine Stanley Haga, Uju Rockson-Rapu and Alba Vega Viyuela.