The NIHR Newcastle Clinical Research Facility joined the celebrations at this year’s Newcastle Mela festival (24–25 August 2025), where thousands of people came together to enjoy music, food, arts, and culture.

Our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Manager, Judith McGuinness attended the event to talk with festivalgoers about research at the CRF and how local communities can play a role in shaping it.

Judith said, ‘The Mela provides a great opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds, share information about our research at the CRF, and listen to what people think about health research and any barriers they have to taking part’.

NIHR Newcastle CRF is committed to making research inclusive, ensuring that people from all communities have the chance to influence and take part in studies that improve health and care, and we are already looking forward to next year’s Mela!