VOICENorth

VOICENorth is a means to engage with a wide, representative range of people and their communities and to consult with them on key issues around ageing and demographic change. It facilitates identifying public concerns and provides real opportunities for lay people to become involved to help to shape future research and policy-making.

VOICENorth consists of a large representative group of people, reflecting the age-structure and geographical and socio-economic make-up of the North East. We hope to involve up to 3000 people interested in contributing their ideas and experience. Anyone is welcome to take part and participants can be involved in a range of ways. For example:

  • At the simplest level, members will be invited from time to time to respond to questionnaires about research and/or policy-related issues in areas which are of interest to them.
  • There will also be opportunity to participate more interactively in the development of research and/or policy proposals through focus groups and workshops, for example.
  • Some projects will need to recruit people to assist in research, for example by interviewing others, or by evaluating the usefulness of new enabling and assistive technologies.
  • There will also be opportunities for some members to play a role as lay members of groups concerned with the management, assessment and implementation of projects.
  • Members of VOICENorth will receive regular invitations to conferences and other events to disseminate information about research advances or policy changes which affect their lives.
  • All members will receive newsletters about VOICENorth’s activity and other related opportunities to contribute to the intellectual and social development of the region.

The development of VOICENorth represents an extremely exciting opportunity for people across the region to work in partnership with researchers and policy and strategy makers to make a positive difference to the lives of older people in the North East and helping to create a flourishing region.

If you would like to become a member or receive more information on how to be involved, you can complete our Expression of Interest Form or please contact us.

Ongoing Studies:

1. The PROVIDE Study

The PROVIDE study is investigating a new food supplement which has been designed to improve muscle mass and strength in older people. We will be looking to see if the supplement helps in these areas.

Participants will be reimbursed travel costs and on completion of the study, will receive vouchers to the value of £100 (or £80 for 13 weeks). If you are interested in taking part, or you would like further information, please e-mail Provide@ncl.ac.uk or contact Carolyn Taylor on 0191 222 3592.

Please see the poster at the link below for more details:

Download PROVIDE poster

Events:

See our news and events pages for details.