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New Roots, Active Lives: Forced Migrant Wellbeing, Community Sport and Physical Activity in Charnwood

    Cohort 2025 Research Placement Project

    About The Project

    This participatory project with Loughborough University, Leicester University, and Leicester City in the Community aims to understand the wellbeing, sport, and physical activity (PA) experiences of forced migrants in Charnwood and co-create recommendations for community partners to enable meaningful participation.

    Charnwood is home to approximately 500 forced migrants (Home Office, 2024), including resettled Ukrainian and Afghani refugees, asylum seekers housed in two hotels, and unaccompanied minors supported through social services and Baca charity. Forced migrants experience overlapping and complex challenges in the UK including long-standing impacts of past trauma, social exclusion, language barriers, integration, and hostile policies (Chase & Allsopp, 2021; Hocking 2018), often resulting in destitution, marginalisation and poor mental health outcomes (Isaacs et al., 2023). In Charnwood, these challenges are heightened by a primarily white British population and place-based inequalities (Office of National Statistics, 2021).

    Sport and PA can positively impact forced migrant wellbeing through fostering social connections, integration, and positive emotions, alongside reducing symptoms of depression, PTSD and anxiety (Doidge et al., 2020; Ley et al., 2018; Smith et al., 2023; Spaaij et al., 2019). Existing provision for forced migrants in Charnwood includes football, gym, yoga, and multi-sport. However, there are minimal opportunities for children, youth, and women forced migrants with gaps in inclusive and culturally relevant programming. With new community spaces and an extended community gym opening soon, centring the voices of forced migrant populations in developing local sport and PA programmes and spaces is imperative.

    This project builds from our existing trusted relationships with local forced migrant groups and community partners including staff at the hotels, Loughborough Town of Sanctuary, Baca, the Loughborough Wellbeing Centre, and NHS Charnwood.

    Through interviews with key community partners, creative participatory workshops, and knowledge dissemination, this project will 1.) explore what matters most to the wellbeing of forced migrant groups, in particular women, children, and youth in Charnwood, 2.) investigate their motivations, needs, and barriers related to sport and PA participation, and 3.) co-create recommendations which can inform the design/delivery of locally grounded, culturally-relevant sport and PA programmes and spaces. Outcomes include a presentation to stakeholders at the Charnwood Asylum Seeker and Refugee Network meeting, an infographic, and written recommendations. Through centring the lived experiences of local forced migrants and working in collaboration with local organisations, the project will make significant contributions to enhancing the wellbeing of forced
    migrants in Charnwood.

    This project has been co-created and is supported by researchers from Loughborough University, the University of Leicester, and partners at Leicester City in the Community. The successful candidate for this project will be enrolled at Loughborough University.

    Project Aims 

    The overall aims of the project are:

    1. Explore what matters most to the wellbeing of forced migrants living in Charnwood.
    2. Understand needs, preferences and challenges faced by local forced migrants, in particular among women, children, and
      youth, in accessing physical activity and sporting opportunities and spaces in Charnwood.
    3. Collaboratively co-create recommendations for local community organisations in developing inclusive and needs-based
      sport and physical activity programmes with, and for, local forced migrants.

    Project Team