Arley and Ansley
Key points
- Arley and Ansley Big Local invested in maintaining and improving local assets – such as the community centre and Hill Top pavilion – to ensure their long-term sustainability.
- The partnership worked closely with residents through a small grants scheme, guiding them to apply for funding and adapting grants to meet the community’s evolving needs.
- Community events helped connect residents across the three villages, strengthening local ties and fostering a shared identity.
About the Big Local area
Arley and Ansley Big Local covered three historical coalmining villages: New Arley, Old Arley, and Ansley. As of 2021, the area’s total population was nearly 4,000 (ONS, 2022), with roughly half living in New Arley, and a quarter each in Old Arley and Ansley. The partnership had a sense that the population of each village grew during Big Local, particularly due to a new housing development in Ansley Village.
Situated about five miles west of Nuneaton and 15 miles east of Birmingham, the area’s semi-rural and hilly terrain made residents reliant on cars or public transport for travelling roughly one and a half miles between villages. Local people felt that the hills, country roads, and limited transport options – widely considered by residents to be inadequate – hindered connection both between the villages, and to places further afield.
Local collieries had closed in the 1960s, along with the nearest train station. Local amenities included a primary school, breakfast and after-school clubs, recreation grounds, and allotment societies. There was also a doctor’s surgery, sports centre, and council-run hub at the New Arley community centre, offering internet access and a free bus service to a local supermarket. The area benefitted from lower house prices than regional and national averages (Land Registry, 2024), and its rural landscapes attracted walking and cycling tourism.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
Arley and Ansley Big Local’s vision was to create a cleaner, safer community in which all residents felt valued, and where children and young people could reach their potential.
While specific priorities evolved over time, they mainly focused on helping young people living in low-income households; reducing aspirational barriers to employment; maintaining local assets and the environment; tackling rural isolation by improving community cohesion; and improving safety. The partnership’s board reported on progress at two yearly open meetings, rotated among the three villages.
The Arley and Ansley partnership delivered Big Local by drawing on the combined support of workers – including a community development worker, administrative staff, and sessional youth workers – and volunteers, especially around events and youth work.
A Big Local partnership was a group made up of at least eight people that guided the overall direction of delivery in a Big Local area.
Many Big Local partnerships funded workers to support the delivery of Big Local. They were paid individuals, as opposed to those who volunteered their time. They were different from Big Local reps and advisors, who were appointed and paid by Local Trust.
Members also organised subgroups for specific projects and events, both to encourage resident participation and distribute decision-making. These groups played a crucial role in shaping Big Local activities and were overall a success for the partnership. For example, by 2024, the events subgroup were organising four major community events a year. In 2018, subgroup members reported feeling increased skill and confidence to make a difference in their community, noting a shift from relying on paid workers to a more resident-led approach.
One subgroup was responsible for another important facet of the partnership’s approach: small grants. Arley and Ansley Big Local developed a diverse grants scheme to support local groups, community spaces, and businesses throughout the programme. From 2018 onwards, this included a ‘Community Chest’ for small grants of up to £500, alongside a community assets pot for facility and community space enhancements, and a business grant of up to £2,500 to foster local economic growth.
The dedicated subgroup promoted and reviewed applications, prioritising grants that would benefit the community, and wherever possible offered applicants guidance to refine their proposals rather than rejecting them. By 2024, the partnership had distributed over £120,000 to the three villages. They viewed these grants as a key part of their legacy that had enabled resident-led decisions and helped members develop valuable skills in the process.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Adapting to support long-term community spaces
Alongside funding local groups (including blacksmithing, netball, and gardening), Arley and Ansley Big Local adapted their grant-giving approach to support sustainable spaces for such activities. A key investment was the Arley Community Centre (ACC), seen by the partnership as a major local asset. They provided grants for essential repairs and maintenance to enhance safety and accessibility, allowing groups to continue their activities. They also allocated funding for a new cooker, enabling residents to trial a community café and Sunday dining, which fostered connections among residents.
The centre also created space for drop-in sessions to promote Big Local, led by the community development worker. During a time of financial crisis for the centre, Big Local connected ACC with their locally trusted organisation (LTO), Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action (WCAVA), for governance support, ultimately allowing them to remain in operation in the long term.
Another example of the partnership’s targeted support for community assets was their relationship with local bed and breakfast Hood Lane Farm, which evolved into a hub for community activities during Big Local. When the farm first opened, partnership members visited their mobile coffee hut and encouraged them to apply for a grant to pay for a generator and signage, which enabled the hut to serve local events.
By 2023, the farm had received further funding to improve on-site accessibility, including disabled toilets and better access routes. This enabled various low-cost or free community activities, such as crafting, gardening, and menopause support groups. The farm’s owner – initially a grant recipient themselves – later joined the partnership board as a community facilitator, drawing on their experience of the programme to help others with grant applications.
Working collaboratively
Investing in a central space for future community activities
Wanting to invest in a dedicated community space, in 2021 the partnership seized the opportunity to collaborate with the parish council to develop a new Pavilion at Hill Top playing fields – an outdoor space already hosting events and sports activities. A joint working group formed, including representatives from the parish and district councils, local football clubs, and Big Local. The partnership viewed the project as a legacy investment that would provide a permanent home for future youth activities.
Initial plans were to build a multi-use hall and changing rooms for local youth football teams. The working group collaborated to design the space, plan its development, and secure additional funding. However, a major funder withdrew support, resulting in a significant financial shortfall. The working group quickly adapted, exploring alternative solutions that – frustratingly for the partnership – delayed the project, but also allowed it to continue within budget. The partnership persevered. Instead of the changing rooms, the scaled-back plan saw installing three steel containers at the playing fields, creating a flexible, modular space that could eventually be expanded.
Set to open in 2025, the new Pavilion at Hill Top aimed to be a central meeting point for football teams and their families. A new group that included members of the partnership and the parish council was established to manage the completion of the project beyond Big Local.
Investing in young people
Providing activities and opportunities for local young people
Arley and Ansley Big Local identified a gap in services for young people, leading to the launch of the Leys Youth Project in 2016, continuing the work of the former Arley youth club. Funds were allocated to employing part-time youth workers to deliver a regular programme of activities, such as cooking and arts and crafts for ages 8–19, and subsidised trips outside the area. Specialised programmes were organised to raise young people’s aspirations. Activities took place in various community spaces, including the Big Local-funded Arley Community Centre.
The Leys Youth Project was felt to be impactful in a range of ways and expanded from one to four sessions each week across Old Arley, New Arley, and Ansley. The project engaged around 250 young people from 2021–2023, with up to 30 attending regularly.
It also facilitated career development for some of its voluntary workers, with one person progressing from a volunteer to a Level‑6 targeted youth worker. Another youth worker transitioned from volunteering to a paid role after six months while pursuing their degree. This not only represented progress for the individuals themselves, but also developed capacity for ongoing youth support beyond Big Local. This became a focus for the Leys Youth Project towards the end of the programme, when those involved were exploring ways to continue its services.
Working collaboratively
Improving traffic safety in Ansley village
In response to long-standing concerns in the community about traffic speed on the main road through Ansley, the partnership formed the Ansley Action Group with £40,000 of Big Local funding. Building on a 30-plus year campaign for traffic-calming measures to be introduced, the group engaged with local authorities – securing backing from a key councillor – and leveraged existing connections in the council to negotiate down the design costs. When it transpired that a zebra crossing would be infeasible, focus shifted to alternatives, such as road narrowing buildouts and speed reduction signs. The group’s foundational work led to the council organising a consultation that helped shape a final design – one that would be both feasible and meet the community’s demands for the road.
The action group’s persistent engagement with local authorities secured contributions from developers, the parish council, the Warwickshire Association of Local Councils, and county councillors’ funds. With Big Local funding and additional contributions, the group financed planning, consultations, and the eventual successful installation of new traffic-calming measures in 2022. They included three buildouts on the main road, allowing safer pedestrian crossing, alongside updated road signs and lighting.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Supporting residents through times of crisis
Arley and Ansley Big Local implemented various strategies to address crises and urgent needs in the community. For example, partnering with North Warwickshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) from 2018, they helped provide practical support to residents facing financial hardship, funding a dedicated worker to assist with issues like council tax reductions and benefits reviews.
Initially intended to run for two years, the programme’s success led to a funding extension through to 2024, including a hardship fund for urgent domestic needs, such as washing machine repairs. The partnership reflected that CAB were adept at navigating complex issues and consistently brought more financial resources into the community, generating over £200,000 in financial outcomes for the community, including through savings on energy bills and access to unclaimed benefits.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the partnership also set up Lifeline Hubs to distribute essential items to residents and provided laptops for online learning to local schoolchildren. They also launched a Community Cupboard which collected donated school uniforms and created an activity-kit hire scheme for hobbies and crafts – including bug-hunting and stargazing kits, outdoor games, and a potter’s wheel.
Place-based pride and connection
Uniting the three villages through community events
To unite the three distinct rural villages and address a lack of activities, Arley and Ansley Big Local, with support from workers and volunteers, organised events to foster connections and encourage resident engagement.
One highlight was the Scarecrow Festival, which began in 2014 and became a biannual event. Residents crafted and dressed scarecrows, creating themed trails that spanned the villages. In 2023, an environmental theme encouraged the use of recycled materials. Pre-festival workshops, often in partnership with local schools, attracted around 100 participants, with about 80 households across the three villages involved at its peak.
Another highlight, the Festival of Flight, began in 2016 as a kite-flying event. It evolved from a simple picnic into a vibrant festival with stalls, falconry displays, and food vendors, creating an engaging outdoor space for the community. By 2022, attendance had grown to around 800 residents – a major success for a single event in the area. Towards the end of Big Local, the partnership were exploring the possibility of the parish council continuing the event.
How the Big Local area spent their funding
Each Big Local area received approximately £1.2 million (ranging from £1.199 mil to 1.209 mil) to spend over 10–15 years, depending on how much additional funding they accessed from Local Trust to address specific needs. For example, to bring people together at the start of the programme or to access training and support. This has been categorised for areas and at the programme level based on reports received from areas.
Partnerships chose their own priorities and categories for reporting, and were encouraged to use broad categories so they could use the funding flexibly. All areas spent a significant amount of money on ‘Big Local delivery costs’ such as workers’ salaries, stationery and IT equipment. You can find out more about programme level spend in this article. This is how Arley and Ansley Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Land Registry (2024) ‘Average house price’. (Accessed 13 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 13 January 2025)