The Mowmacre estate in Leicester is ranked in the bottom range of Multiple Deprivation (IMD 2019). Residents face high levels of inactivity, chronic ill-health, poor educational attainment, and limited access to green space or quality facilities, compounded by a lack of long-term investment and infrastructure. The Mowmacre Sports & Education Campus (MSEC) is a newly developed, multi-use community hub based in one of Leicester’s most disadvantaged wards. Operated by the Community Interest Company (CIC) FSD FC, the hub aims to improve health, well-being, education, and community cohesion through access to sport, learning, and social activities. The hub was founded by ex-professional footballers Matt Piper and Owen Johnson, who grew up in the area. Working in partnership with other organisations, there are aspirations to develop community interest projects and social outreach programmes to become a sporting and educational power hub for Mowmacre and the city of Leicester, alongside achieving net-zero emissions by 2035. Acquired from Leicester City Council in 2022, the hub is part of the Football Foundation’s Home Advantage programme and is well placed to be part of Sport England’s Place Expansion programme, which will include Mowmacre as a target area. 
With its location and partnership approach the community hub is ideally placed to make a significant contribution within a place-based approach to tackling health inequalities. “Place-based approaches recognise the importance of addressing the wider determinants of health (the conditions into which people are born, live and work) across the life course.” (Public Health England, 2021). Place-based approaches are tailored to the specific circumstances of a geographic location and involve collaboration between local stakeholders, including local communities, government agencies and other organisations, to create holistic, innovative and sustainable solutions to the complex causal pathways that underpin health inequalities. 
This PhD project will examine the role of the hub in tackling the social determinants of health inequalities within the context of place-based regeneration. The research will utilise innovative participatory, co-production methods to engage local residents and other stakeholders with the research process, ensuring that the project is relevant, inclusive, and impactful for the local community. This case study will provide evidence to shape policy and investment in urban estates across Leicester and beyond. 
 
This project has been co-created with and is supported by researchers from Loughborough University, De ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ University, and partners at Ethical Business Exchange Ltd. The successful candidate for this project will be enrolled at Loughborough University. 
Project Aims
The overall aims of the project are:   
- Identify the most effective ways in which the community hub reaches and engages diverse communities most at risk due to health inequalities   
- Examine how the community hub leverages additional resources into the area and how partnerships with other stakeholder organisations are established and sustained   
- Evidence the impact of the hub on addressing the complex pathways that underpin persistent health inequalities to inform policy and practice locally and beyond.    
Estimated thesis submission: