At the Local Challenges Research Office (LCRO), we build meaningful connections between local communities and researchers across South and West Wales. We bring together diverse forms of expertise to understand and address the everyday challenges and opportunities faced by local people and places.
At our core, we’re committed to building relationships and recognizing the valuable work already happening locally. But we also believe in the power of research to enable people to achieve more.
Our team takes a flexible approach that allows us to connect people and support collaborations that might otherwise lack the resources or networks to develop. We believe that long-term, sustainable, and meaningful collaboration enables us to achieve greater things together.
Do you have a challenge where a different perspective might help? An idea that could benefit from connecting community insights with research? Get in touch - we're here to help build partnerships that make a difference.
A Commitment to Place
The places where we live and work shape our lives. In South and West Wales, our special landscape, history, and culture give hope and opportunities to some people but can be obstacles for others.
History shows that social inequalities stick around in certain places, impacting families and communities for generations. But beneath the statistics and headlines, people understand their places in complex and relational ways. Where one person might see their neighbourhood as great, another might not.
These local histories and experiences mean that different places need different kinds of support. Policies in Wales and the UK now recognize the need to think carefully about places and involve the people who live there.
We support researchers to play a bigger role in local communities and solutions. Because it’s when communities come together to solve local problems that we can make real changes – both for ourselves and for others facing similar challenges worldwide.
We would love to hear from you if you would like to have a chat about a project idea.
Find out about more about our recent place-based activity
LCRO was preceded by a twelve-month RWIF-funded project to create the South West Wales Engagement Framework. This project allowed us to map our collaborations across the region, design a training programme for our academics, and foster new collaborations through a series of external events including our Networking Event at Swansea Arena and a ‘research in the community’ initiative with Wyeside Arts Centre.
To guide and support our work in the region, we developed a set of co-creation principles. While we tailored the principles to our context, they are informed by a wide range of existing expertise. We hope that our co-creation principles will support and encourage sustained community-based research that makes a positive difference locally.
Working with LCRO: Quotes from our Collaborators
- “LCRO provided invaluable assistance for a recent impact award application, developing key ideas from my own research into a full proposal to help address community issues relating to energy retrofitting in the larger Swansea area. In addition, they were able to rapidly identify, from relationships they have already established, a local housing association to work with as external partner to increase impact and anchor the proposal.” - Chris Groves on Tai Tarian IAA
- "All went well and the organisers spoke very highly of LCRO’s willingness to engage. The audience was good and also very engaged and I found it a useful exercise in terms of nudging forward my own research agenda. So, thanks for this and I’m happy to promote this series to others in the future – let me know what I can usefully do." - Kirsti Bohata on Research in the Community
- “I am a researcher, heavily engaged with research quality, PhD student supervision, and have tailored a unique research paradigm called Culture Based Development. This is all a high impact potential research work, but to achieve the impact more energy is needed and a different hat has to be worn to transform my research and approach it from policy implementation and communication with local authorities angle in order to transmit the academic message and translate it successfully and collaborative, through co-creation, that ensures adoption and diffusion of my research contribution in practice.
The Local Challenges Research Office has been absolutely instrumental and incredibly useful to provide this enabling role. The presence of devoted, active and motivated colleagues, easy to work with and agile and result-oriented in their working style has made the work towards transforming my research into real impact a joy. I am not alone – I feel I have a loyal and able team in their face to do that important bit of my work. That is why I am more than happy to include in all my research projects special place for LCRO colleagues that will ensure the dissemination – there is no better investment from any research pot. More generally, I also have the leadership role of being the representative of Swansea University in the International PASCAL Observatory that caters the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through cooperation between local authorities and universities.
The presence of LCRO and its clear role in the implementation of the third pillar of the university – its civic mission – has been a success widely celebrated and praised. I am so pleased you are here! Thank you for your invaluable work and wonderful partnership! You are our pride, internally and externally so. Thank you!” - Annie Tubadji on TPI Fellowship
- "Everything went well yesterday at Wyeside and we got really good audience participation, which is always a bonus. As Frank said, it was good to see that everyone in attendance spoke and had something to contribute. I'm glad we have opportunities like this to engage the broader community and get their input on the research we are doing at Swansea University. Please keep me in mind for future opportunities like this.’- Helen Yu on Research in the Community at Wyeside
- "Tom's support has been incredibly helpful in getting access to practitioners and those working in government in relation to my later funded Impact Fellowship exploring care-experienced children's educational outcomes. Through this connection, I have spoken with a variety of contacts at Swansea's LA, and they are very interested in co-creating animations and teacher training to support care-experienced children's experiences and outcomes in education. While it is in it's beginning, the fellowship has set off to a good start and there has been significant interest by LAs, virtual heads, and people working in this sector. This work has been taken to the National Delivery Group and is now feeding into Estyn's planning and development. In June, I will be meeting with a variety of headteachers in Swansea with a group Jayne has set-up and this is fundamental for the Impact Fellowship to take off and showcase best practice. I have been invited to the Senedd in September to give a 30-minute talk on this to policymakers, and the development of this would not have been as rapid or effective without this key contact." - Emily Lowthian on making connections (May 2025)
- “LCRO, and especially the work of Tom Avery, has been vital to developing my research agenda in a rigorous and impactful way. I was a bit stuck with my research in finding real-world applications for the blockchain processes I was assessing, and Tom introduced me to Scott Griffiths at Llanelli Township, who we are now working closely with to develop blockchain governance solutions that can have a meaningful community impact in Llanelli. I simply did not have the contacts at a local and community level, and LCRO was able to provide that sustained expertise in connecting me into their networks. Since then, Tom and LCRO have spent considerable and useful time in fostering this relationship, providing ideas and research support to help develop the project. Specifically, this has included grant support, network development, background research, contribution of ideas and research expertise, and development of research papers and impact outputs. It has directly led to a successful ESRC IAA application (~£15,000), which is being leveraged into larger grant bids tailored to UKRI and EU Horizon funding.
LCRO’s work also complements and enhances work we are doing with WISERD (Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research and Data) and has helped me to develop European relations through Cost Action CA23114 - Regaining linkage? Digital technologies improving civic engagement, political organisations and democracy (RELINK²). The aim of this Cost Action is to develop larger scale European funding bids and opportunities. LCRO is probably the clearest indication to me that the university is investing in worthwhile, meaningful and impactful initiatives that benefit me as a researcher and the community more broadly. Its support has strengthened my work considerably.” - Dion Curry on Blockchain Governance (May 2025)
- "A note just to say thank you to LCRO for inviting me to join the SHAPE event on Monday. It was a valuable and inspiring day. The content and format created a real sense of warmth and welcome that felt so important to engendering confidence in coproducing and engaging with research, reflections and idea." - Jessie Buchanan (TfC) following Volcano Event in June
- "Dear LCRO team, just a short note to say thank you very much for today's event. It was both interesting and useful. We met old friends, made new contacts and took away lots of ideas. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr." - Sandra Morton (Swansea Asylum Seekers Support) following Volcano Event in June
- "I have known Emily for approximately one year and she has been brilliant coming to speak to the Heritage groups in NPT about the LCRO project. I would be happy to work with Emily in the future and assist her in anyway I can as my role allows." - Sarahjayne Clements (NPTCBC Community Heritage Officer)
- "As one of the largest Housing Associations in Wales, Tai Tarian sees at first hand the 'wicked' issues of social and economic inequality. Our work allows us to directly influence the wellbeing of our communities for good. We are very conscious that we need to implement interventions with our communities rather than to our communities. So often the lack of co creation of social policy in Wales with communities has resulted in an implementation gap.
The Local Challenges Research Office at Swansea University has been invaluable in helping us articulate the issues we face, framing the policy intervention and suggesting, in partnership with Swansea University, a practical and robust way forward. Jo and Emily are fantastic. They quickly understand the points at issue, are empathetic to the constraints we face as an organisation and show incredible knowledge in order to guide us to those within the University who are best able to provide comprehensive academic advice. They have shown great skill in their ability to frame the challenges we face in a way that can be answered by colleagues within the University.
I would highly recommend LCRO at Swansea University to any public body or indeed any community themselves who seek to navigate their way through choppy policy waters" - Jonathan Morris, Strategic Development Manager, Tai Tarian
Our Current Projects
AHRC IAA funded project which creatively explores how histories of place and space impact current wellbeing and future aspirations. Dr Michaela James (PI), Emily Adams (Co-I), and Jack Palmer are delivering this interdisciplinary project in partnership with Port Talbot Primary Schools, Raspberry Creatives, Families First, and a host of supportive teams within Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.
ERSC IAA funded project led by Chris Groves (PI) and Erin Robers (Co-I) in partnership with Tai Tarian encouraging local people to explore their present conditions and future aspirations for their homes – including information on new heating technology and options available. The project also investigate ways in which the housing association and tenants can combine their voice to highlight concerns about mandated Welsh Government policy and the implementation gap.
A programme we’ve ran since 2022 to create public engagement opportunities and foster conversations between Swansea University researchers and residents in Builth Wells (this programme is hosted at Wyeside Arts Centre, but also facilitates pop-up talks in other venues throughout the region).
A Medr funded partnership which brings together tertiary education institutions in a formal collaboration focussed on delivering a portfolio of civic mission activities. Respect for the communities that we engage with forms the basis of our agreement – creating a common platform for good. To date, we have run 4 workshops with a total of 54 community stakeholders to identify priorities for action over short, medium and long-term time horizons. The findings from the workshops will inform the Partnership group’s decision – making process on its future strategy.
This project – led by Annie Tubadji’s (PI) – involves mapping wellbeing activity of Public Service Boards (PSBs) to measures of productivity, developing a statistical model to demonstrate the impact and value of wellbeing activities. The purpose of mapping wellbeing activities to measures of productivity and aligning the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and Levelling Up agendas is to enable PSBs to produce evidence-based reporting that meets the expectations of higher-level policymakers. By translating the work of PSBs into a format recognised by policymakers, they can strengthen their arguments and justifications for additional resources based on the local impact of their grassroots initiatives.
The LCRO Team
We are a dynamic team of project and research officers, led by our co-directors. We offer a holistic understanding of activity and expertise across the region which we maintain through relationships built on trust, mutual understanding, and an ethos of co-creation.
Our approach is all about working together, changing the old way of doing research to people, and instead working with and being led by communities at all stages of research. We work on the principles of being genuine, consistent and respectful.
Emily Adams – Project Officer
Emily Adams is a Project Officer leading on Swansea University’s place-based agenda through the Local Challenges Research Office (LCRO). Focusing on research projects, partnership building, and civic mission activities within South and West Wales.
Alongside Jo Hutchings, Emily is the key contact for those working with and within communities across the region building on extensive experience of delivering third sector services. Emily is passionate about platforming community voices and widening access through her projects and research.
Emily is also a postgraduate researcher. Her current project explores the history of social mobility in post-war Wales – evaluating whether the emergence of new opportunities created by changes in education and employment overpowered the historic influence of location and family background on life trajectories.
Tom Avery – Research Officer
My role is to enable research that makes a difference locally. I’m interested in anything place-based, co-created, or community led, where the role of the researcher is to facilitate rather than lead. I enjoy matching up disciplines and agencies and approaches to work together to enhance each other, so I’m perhaps more interested in methodologies.
That said, I was trained as an educational linguist and critical ethnographer working with refugee communities, so at my core I will always be interested in issues of inclusion, representation, and speaking to power.
Well-being is high up on the Welsh agenda, with public bodies across Wales required to assess and improve local well-being. I am working with Dr Annie Tubadji to help Public Services Boards think about how their well-being work results in productivity outcomes. builds on Annie’s work in cultural economics, which explores the roles of effective measurement and development of cultural and social capital in regional development.
Jo
I’m a Project Officer leading Swansea University’s place-based agenda through the Local Challenges Research Office (LCRO). I focus on research projects, partnership building, and civic mission activities across South and West Wales.
Alongside Emily Adams, I’m one of the key contacts for those working with and within communities across the region, building on my extensive experience delivering third sector services. I’m passionate about platforming community voices and widening access through my projects.
I’ve worked on numerous collaborative projects, including several Doctoral Training Partnerships, both in Yorkshire and Swansea.
Sarah
I’m Co-Director of the Local Challenges Research Office and a Professor in the field of gendered harms in the Department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at Swansea University.
Before working in academia, I worked in Public Health within community settings, supporting young mums and later young dads on a range of co-produced activities and projects around safer spaces, sexual health, housing, and more. Working with these groups and local partners helped us make visible the barriers to education, employment, and leisure opportunities, often using filmmaking, performance, and other creative mediums.
I’m passionate about finding ways to support community-driven action and collaborative working. This role enables me to work alongside Dr Christala Sophocleous and the team, lending our skills and experience to help people achieve lasting change — both individually and collectively — while promoting a greater understanding of lived experiences at various policy and practice levels.
Emmanuela
I’m a Project Officer at Swansea University’s Local Challenges Research Office, where I provide comprehensive administrative and operational support across all phases of research project delivery — from planning and implementation through to reporting and closure.
With a strong background in project coordination, stakeholder engagement, and compliance, I play a key role in maintaining project schedules, preparing documentation, supporting budget tracking, and facilitating both internal and external communication. My work contributes to the strategic advancement of research initiatives that address pressing local and regional challenges, with a focus on effective data-driven decision-making and collaborative partnerships.
Christala
I’m Co-Director of the LCRO and a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy in the Department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at Swansea University. Together with Sarah, I provide strategic leadership to our centre.
I’ve had a long-term interest in the voluntary sector, its relationship with public services, and the power of communities to enrich our lives. Over the past 40 years, I’ve volunteered, worked in, with, and researched the voluntary sector and community organisations. I’m committed to supporting communities to use public policy for local benefit and ensuring that marginalised voices are heard in decision-making processes.
Sitting at the intersection of the university, communities, and public policy, LCRO gives me a unique opportunity to bring these interests together and foster collaborative work across agencies and sectors within the south-west region of Wales.
