We are delighted to announce that Helen Boyle, a valued member of the Involvement, Recovery & Wellness Centre (IRWC) team, has been awarded one of the first National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) fellowships dedicated to Peer Support Workers.

Based at University College London, the Mental Health Research for All (MH-ALL) programme aims to expand research opportunities for allied health and community staff, particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds.

Helen’s journey within our service is truly inspiring. She first engaged with us as a service user before becoming a volunteer and co-producing the peer support project. She then trained and worked as a Peer Support Worker in the Macclesfield Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) before joining the IRWC team as a Lived Experience Recovery Mentor. Now, she will draw on both her lived and professional experience at CWP to research contemporary mental health inequalities affecting service users—and work towards meaningful, lasting change.

Speaking about her fellowship, Helen said:

"I am grateful to our service lead Tracey Williamson for allowing me to pursue this amazing opportunity, my line manager Emma Naden and to Phill Elliot in the Research team for supporting my application. I am honoured to be part of the MH-ALL programme and excited to explore how we can address mental health inequalities at CWP and within our service more effectively during the MH-ALL programme. I will be reviewing novel ways to increase access to services and improve outcomes for diverse groups and hope to develop future research that improves outcomes for our service users at CWP."

Tracey Williamson shared her enthusiasm:

"We are thrilled to have Helen as part of the Mental Health Research for All programme. Her research will be invaluable in helping us—and the wider CMHT—enhance our services, refine recovery materials, and tailor support approaches to better meet the needs of minority groups, which remains a key priority for us."

We wish Helen all the best for her 12-month secondment and look forward to the insights and impact her research will bring.