Establishing a Community Research Network in the Isles of Scilly: The community view

Abstract

This report was produced as part of the preliminary work to set up a Community Research Network in the Isles of Scilly. Interviews were conducted with 26 residents from a range of interest groups to explore three key questions: (1) Issues: What are the major challenges facing people in the Isles of Scilly? Could a Community Research Network assist in addressing local challenges? (2) Interest in engagement: Would people in the Isles of Scilly be interested in engaging in the work of a Community Research Network? (3) Implementation: How could a Community Research Network operate? What would success look like? Respondents identified significant and inter-related challenges in relation to: the seasonality, reliability and cost of transport; the lack of housing; the ageing population; and sea level rise. They also identified a series of ideas that might be investigated by a Community Research Network, should it be more formally established and developed in future.