Take the Lead community grants

In September 2025, we launched the Take the Lead small grants. Community groups across the UK applied for between £500 to £1500 to deliver a standalone project, event or series of activities exploring how data can support their health and wellbeing in their communities between January – March 2026.

Importantly, the application had to be led by and embedded in community organisations primarily working with at least one of the following under-served audiences:

  • People from low socio-economic backgrounds
  • People from minority ethnic backgrounds
  • Older children and young adults aged 11–25 (especially in areas of deprivation)
  • People over 65 (especially in areas of deprivation)
  • People living in rural areas (defined as settlements of fewer than 10,000 people in England and Wales, fewer than 5,000 in Northern Ireland, and fewer than 3,000 in Scotland)
  • People experiencing digital exclusion

The projects have been funded by Health Data Research UK and our partners Smart Data Research UK, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre and HDR UK Big Data for Complex Disease Research Driver Programme.

Awardees for 2026

  • ABC Health & Leisure Trust (Ardoyne and Bone Community) was established in 2016 to transform a disused school building into a community asset tackling health, leisure, and social inequalities. It has developed into a community hub providing low-cost fitness classes, youth programmes, and inclusive spaces for older residents.

    Dancing with Data will be a three-month project helping young Irish dancers understand health data through wearable fitness trackers. Working with Queen’s University Belfast researchers, participants will explore metrics like steps, heart rate, and recovery during dance sessions, then interpret results in creative workshops. The project will create resources, host a showcase event, and empower dancers and families to use data for injury prevention, wellbeing, and digital confidence.

  • Arloesi Dolgellau is a rural innovation group bringing together residents, local organisations and creative practitioners to test small-scale projects improving wellbeing and sustainability in Gwynedd.

    Cerdded yn Dawns (Walk and Sing Dolgellau) will bring people together to explore how health data shapes wellbeing through themed winter walks. Participants will use local and national data on activity and mental health as inspiration, track steps and share reflections via bilingual cards or QR codes to make data simple, social, and empowering for older adults and digitally excluded communities.

  • Awakening Minds Practice CIC delivers mental health and wellbeing support for carers, families and under-represented groups in Rochdale. It provides peer support, workshops, training and culturally responsive services.

    Rochdale Health & Art Reflections is a three-part project introducing health data in creative ways. Participants will explore local health statistics, track movement with smartwatches during activities, and transform insights into collaborative art and journaling. The project will make health data tangible and build confidence and curiosity.

  • Belfast Intercultural Romanian Speaking Community creates inclusive spaces for Romanians in Northern Ireland to maintain cultural identity while engaging with broader society. NICVA

    Data in Motion is a six-week project for Romanian youth combining movement, creativity and health data. Participants will track steps, sleep and mood, analyse their data, and turn insights into posters, maps and journals. A final exhibition will showcase findings to families and the community.

  • Dementia Heroes works with people living with dementia and their unpaid carers in Glasgow, supporting wellbeing through a monthly dementia café and community-led activities in a low-income, multicultural area.

    Dementia Heroes Sensory Garden Project will co-design a sensory garden with people living with dementia and carers to improve wellbeing and reduce isolation. Activities include planting, memory tree creation and café sessions, using simple health data like step counts and journaling to track benefits. The project will culminate in a community data celebration event.

  • Element Society is a Sheffield-based youth charity providing safe, inclusive spaces for disadvantaged young people aged 13–18 to build confidence, skills and wellbeing.

    SnackTrack is a four-week project where young people will track steps and snack choices, reflect on patterns, and turn insights into creative outputs like posters or zines. The project makes health data engaging and accessible while encouraging healthier habits.

  • Everyday English supports people from diverse backgrounds to improve English language skills and cultural understanding through accessible, confidence-building online education.

    Data & Wellbeing Conversations will explore public health data with English language learners, including migrants and refugees. Through workshops, journaling and creative café events, participants will learn to interpret charts, track wellbeing and present findings in English.

  • Groundwork Yorkshire works to create vibrant, green neighbourhoods and supports people from low-income backgrounds, older adults and digitally excluded residents through its Learning Centre.

    Digital Art & Loneliness Workshops will use UK health data on loneliness as inspiration for discussion and digital art creation. The project will build digital skills, reduce isolation and culminate in online and local exhibitions.

  • Health in the Margins CIC works with Black and minority ethnic diaspora communities in London to advance health equity through storytelling, community dialogue and participatory research.

    Community Health Dialogues with Somali Communities will blend local health data with Somali cultural knowledge to explore barriers to healthcare and co-create recommendations, building trust and confidence in using data.

  • Inspire Hub Central CIC delivers culturally sensitive wellbeing activities for low-income and minority ethnic communities in Sparkhill, Birmingham.

    Health Data for Everyday Wellbeing will deliver four free workshops blending health data with practical activities on diet, mental wellbeing, physical activity and healthcare access, empowering participants to make informed choices.

  • Life’s a Pitch Projects uses football as a platform for art, research and social change, centring marginalised voices and inclusive practice.

    GOAL DIFFERENCE will support LGBTQ+ grassroots footballers to track and interpret simple health data, turning insights into zines and posters and building confidence around wellbeing and data use.

  • Local Voice works across North and East London to amplify under-represented communities in health and care through culturally relevant engagement.

    Romanian Community Health Data Project will create Romanian-language infographics on smoking, vaccination and wellbeing, shared through trusted networks and supported by a live Q&A with a Romanian NHS professional.

  • Music4Wellbeing improves mental, physical and social wellbeing through participatory music and creative arts, particularly for older adults and carers.

    Data in Harmony will explore local wellbeing data alongside lived experience, transforming insights into collaborative songs and soundscapes that share community “data stories”.

  • Live Theatre is a Newcastle-based charity championing working-class and marginalised voices through new writing and youth programmes.

    Youth Mental Health & Data Project will support young people to explore mental health statistics, surveys and journaling, developing creative ideas for a future theatre piece.

  • The Purfleet Trust supports people experiencing homelessness in King’s Lynn through person-centred education, health and wellbeing services.

    Moving Well with Data will help participants track steps, mood, energy and sleep using simple tools, combining walking, gardening and reflection to build confidence and wellbeing.

  • Reach Learning Disability supports adults with learning disabilities to improve health, independence and social connection in Nottinghamshire.

    Movement & Wellbeing Data Course will use pedometers and shared digital tools to help participants set goals, interpret data and understand links between activity and mental wellbeing.

  • Reflections Yorkshire CIC supports men recovering from homelessness, addiction and trauma through peer-led, trauma-informed programmes.

    Recovery Journaling as Data will use structured journaling to track emotional wellbeing over time, helping participants build resilience and self-care strategies.

  • Retreat 2 Rebirth CIC delivers creative arts and wellbeing activities for African and minority ethnic communities in Leeds.

    Nature Walks & Creative Journaling for Wellbeing will combine movement tracking with reflective journaling, improving health, reducing isolation and creating a collective creative output.

  • SA Foundation uses sport, physical activity and mentorship to support young people aged 11–25 in areas of deprivation.

    She Moves Harlow will combine sport with data tracking on steps, sleep and mood, empowering girls to turn insights into creative advocacy outputs.

  • Sheppey Matters tackles health inequalities on the Isle of Sheppey through community-led wellbeing projects.

    Dry January Wellbeing Challenge will help participants track sleep, mood and activity, comparing personal insights with national data and celebrating outcomes through community events.

  • Staple Hill Community Hub reduces deprivation through inclusive support for families and older adults in one of England’s most disadvantaged areas.

    Women’s Mental Wellbeing & Data Project will empower women to use health data to understand and improve mental wellbeing while validating lived experience.

  • Taraki Wellbeing works with Punjabi and South Asian communities to reduce mental health stigma and improve access to support.

    Chai and Chat Data Sessions will blend local health data with peer discussion and journaling, building confidence in using data for advocacy and self-care.

  • Britannia Youth Organisation supports young people in Birmingham through education, wellbeing and digital inclusion programmes.

    Data for Wellbeing: Youth Insights Challenge will help young people collect and analyse wellbeing data, presenting findings through art and digital storytelling.

  • Trust Links is a mental health and wellbeing charity in Essex offering therapeutic gardening and recovery support.

    Moon Garden & Seasonal Wellbeing Project will explore how reduced daylight affects wellbeing, combining creative garden design with accessible health data visualisation.

  • Voices of Hope creates safe spaces for women facing abuse, isolation and disadvantage through creative expression and advocacy.

    Silent No More: Power in the Numbers will blend health data with a travelling mural to highlight the impacts of violence against women and girls.

  • Wayfinder Calderdale CIC supports families of children and young people with SEND through wellbeing sessions and creative workshops.

    Invisible Numbers will support neurodivergent young people to explore wellbeing data through sensory-friendly workshops, culminating in a public exhibition.