Network Gathering 2025
Inverness, 11th November
A celebration of community-led research
Our second in-person meeting bringing together communities, researchers, and practitioners passionate about community-led research took place on Tuesday 11 November 2025 in Inverness at the WASPS Creative Academy.
Thank you for joining us for the CKM Network Gathering!
We had an incredible day connecting, learning, and celebrating the power of community-led research across rural and island Scotland. From inspiring spotlight talks and creative workshops to heartfelt conversations and new collaborations, the day was a powerful reminder of why community knowledge really does matter.
Our sincere thanks go out to everyone who joined us in Inverness and online, to all our speakers and facilitators, our volunteers, and the team who made the event possible.
Community Knowledge Matters Network Gathering, Inverness (11 November 2025) - Photo: Alexander Williamson.
The 2025 Gathering: Centring Community Knowledge
The 2025 Community Knowledge Matters (CKM) Gathering in Inverness brought together network members and partners interested in making community-led research more equitable and effecting change to practice and policy.
A Growing Rural and Island Focus
The majority of attendees (approximately 59%) joined us from rural and island Scotland, reflecting the network’s evolving focus and growing breadth. Read more about who joined and what these insights indicate about the composition of the CKM network so far.
Centring Community and Merging Roles
A diverse mix of identities and experiences were present at the event, reflecting the growing breadth of the network. As was our aim, most participants identified most strongly as "community members," aligning with our core mission of centring community perspectives in everything we do.
To a slightly lesser extent, people also identified with the label ‘researcher’ and the perspective of their own ‘lived experience’. This resonates with our belief that no matter our job titles, we all have lived experience and that research can be led by communities rather than just taking place in a university.
Sharing Practice with Community Research Spotlights
The event successfully brought together a mix of experience levels—from those with significant expertise in community-led research to those completely new to it—to share practice and learn from one another.
The day spotlighted four community research projects to share practice across peers. These included OPEN’s transformational journey to becoming Shetland’s first youth-led charity and the Moray Wellbeing Hub’s focus on harnessing people power in community led research. Other spotlights included co-developing nature-connected opportunities for young people and families in Lochaber with NHS Highland and Space 2 Be, and exploring the research behind the first playstreet in Inverness.
a Sharing Cèilidh
The main programme was rounded off with a Sharing Cèilidh, featuring informal networking, creative sharing, and traditional dances from the award-winning Science Ceilidh band.
Relive the best moments from the Gathering by browsing our photo gallery and exploring the recordings of the Community Spotlight talks below. More outputs will be shared soon, including a summary of the key themes from our thematic discussion tables.
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About the Event
The main conference featured a mix of short presentations, community spotlights, and facilitated group discussions. Participants also engaged in network library conversations, individual and group reflections and a listening panel. View the full programme here.
Relive the best moments
Who Joined the Gathering?
We asked people which "hats" they were coming in with and which communities they felt part of. Explore a breakdown of who attended and what these insights indicate about the composition of the CKM network so far.
Photo Gallery
We had an incredible day connecting, learning, and celebrating the power of community-led research. Relive the best moments and view our gallery of photos from the day.
2025 Recordings
Revisit the welcome and introductions, network updates, and our Community-Led Research Spotlights with OPEN (Shetland), the Moray Wellbeing Hub, Space 2 Be (Lochaber), and Emily Kynaston-Williams.
Co-Priority Survey Findings
Relive the presentation from the Co-Priority working group, sharing findings and learnings from the “Doing Mental Health and Wellbeing Research with Rural Communities” Co-Priority Survey conducted between June and July 2024. Check back soon to watch the video in full.
Discussion Tables
The thematic tables provided a space to structure dialogue, share resources, and develop ideas for collaborative action. Participants explored collective asks for decision-makers and identified pathways for future change. We will be sharing a summary of the main themes and insights from these discussions here very soon.
Bursaries & FAQs
Community Bursary Scheme
To support a wide range of voices joining us for the Gathering, we offered some bursaries with funding from the Ideas Fund to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and accessibility expenses to those who otherwise may not have been able to attend. Bursary applications are now closed. Find out more about the bursaries here.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be a CKM network member to attend? No, anyone can join. We’re primarily a Gathering for the network, but you don't need to be an existing member of Community Knowledge Matters to apply to join us as long as you’re passionate about community-led research!
Is the Gathering Free? Yes. This Gathering is funded by The Ideas Fund, British Science Association and Wellcome. We will be providing food and coffee/tea through the day. The evening Cèilidh is included when you register. Travel to Inverness and accommodation are not included.
Do I have to live in Scotland? We're especially keen for people primarily living and/or working in rural and island Scotland to join us. However, people from all the UK and internationals are welcomed to share learning. We will be live streaming specific parts of the day for those who cannot join in-person.
Will the event be live-streamed? We will be live streaming specific parts of the day for those who cannot join in-person. You can register for an online only ticket.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the event, please email lewis@scienceceilidh.com