Steve Crump, Coventry HDRC Research Ambassador
Meet Steve
My background
Prior to joining Feed The Hungry UK in July 2024, I accumulated extensive leadership and management experience within the public sector, specialising in post-compulsory education. I have also managed private sector training and coaching organisations and served as a project lead and mentor at Coventry University.
I bring significant project management expertise, including the delivery of EU/ESF- and DWP-funded initiatives, both as a lead partner and as part of consortium arrangements.
Since the mid-1980s, I have been actively involved in voluntary work across a range of roles and currently serves as a Director of a local Community Interest Company (CIC) which supports young people with SEND and their parents.
Where I work and what I do
In my role as Research Officer at Feed The Hungry, I lead on the development of funding bids and the delivery of projects designed to improve outcomes for clients. Current initiatives include research into the participation of underrepresented groups in health research, as well as programmes that support vulnerable individuals to remain warm and healthy during the winter months.
I also serve as a Research Ambassador within the HDRC network, promoting effective data management to achieve meaningful client outcomes and strengthening the use of research to inform evidence-based solutions that address health inequalities.
In addition, I oversee employability support as part of Coventry Foodbank’s broader strategy to help clients progress towards sustainable independence.
The areas that I am researching
My objective is to champion the effective use of data, ensuring that research-informed, evidence-based solutions are embedded within everyday operational practice and organisational culture.
This includes building capacity within Feed The Hungry and Coventry Foodbank, as well as across our wider network of referral partners, to strengthen our ability to capture, analyse and share routinely collected data in ways that improve outcomes for clients.
It also involves contributing to, and learning from, the HDRC network by sharing practice, research and innovation, and drawing on its expertise in addressing the wider determinants of health and poverty.
A central measure of effective data use will be our enhanced understanding of the wider determinants of health, particularly the underlying drivers that contribute to clients’ reliance on emergency food and fuel support.