Barnfield
Key points
- Big Local funding was used to create a thriving community hub, which hosted a range of community-building services and activities for residents within the estate.
- Educational outcomes and skills were improved through an education project, gardening club, and creating volunteering opportunities.
- Residents were brought together as the partnership supported a range of new experiences, including a youth club.
About the Big Local area
The Barnfield Big Local area centred on the Barnfield Estate, located in Woolwich within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, and comprised of townhouses and low-rise tower blocks. As of 2021, the estate housed a population of 2,485, reflecting an 8 per cent increase since 2011 (ONS, 2022; 2012). Investment made before Big Local started to upgrade open spaces, including a community garden with raised beds, benches, picnic tables, a play area, and a multi-use games area.
During the Big Local programme, most residents in Barnfield were living in socially rented housing (ONS, 2023). Additionally, a higher proportion of children aged 0–19 were from households categorised as low-income compared to both the Borough of Greenwich and London more broadly (DWP, 2024). At various points, the partnership noted the estate’s evolving demographic composition in the years leading up to and during the programme. They felt the estate had an important role in providing housing for individuals who had recently arrived in the UK, and reflected on how this had affected community dynamics within the estate.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The Barnfield Big Local partnership set out with a vision of fostering a community where individuals collaborate to make the estate a source of collective pride. The core priorities of their plan, from community consultations, were children and young people; developing resident engagement, activity programmes, and volunteering opportunities; and community spaces, place, and partnerships.
The partnership took a commissioning approach to deliver some elements of their plan. This saw them work with local organisations, including youth groups, tenants and residents’ bodies, and education service providers. Volunteering played a key role in the partnership’s delivery. With the goal of involving residents in activities on the estate, the partnership supported many residents and partnership members to take on leading roles as volunteers, who in turn supported others to take part in their work. Many of these initiatives were delivered within the estate, in the Barnfield Hub.
The Barnfield partnership moved away from the Big Local model in 2023, as they were no longer able to meet the Local Trust’s core criteria and guidance for Big Local partnerships. By this time, £922,000 had been spent. From this point on, Big Local funding was used to continue support for three key projects, meeting the priorities in the Big Local plan. These included a youth club (B Young Stars), education project (Barnfield Education Project), and gardening club (Buds of Barnfield) on the Barnfield estate.
To ensure a lasting impact for these initiatives, Charlton Athletic Community Trust (a prominent provider of youth services in the borough) stepped in to support B Young Stars in building capacity and fundraising for the future. Concurrently, Buds of Barnfield used funds to purchase equipment to maintain the community garden into the future.
Each partnership was expected to reflect the specific needs and characteristics of its own area and was therefore unique. However, every partnership was expected to meet the following criteria:
- it must have at least eight members
- the majority (at least 51%) of members should live within the Big Local area’s boundaries
- members should broadly reflect the range and diversity of people who live in the area – for example, in relation to age, ethnicity, gender, faith, disability or income levels.
Partnership members were asked to participate ‘in their own right’, meaning they could not represent the views of any other person or organisation.
A Big Local Plan set out what changes the partnership planned to make, how they planned to deliver on this and how funds were to be allocated. It was written for themselves, their community and Local Trust, as a guide and action plan.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Creating a community space for Barnfield residents
Responding to the need for a venue to facilitate community engagement, Big Local funding was allocated to establish a dedicated space capable of hosting a range of activities. The partnership established a prefabricated hut on previously unused land on the Barnfield estate, that had been earmarked for future development. The Barnfield Hub officially opened its doors to residents early in the programme, in 2014.
The hub quickly evolved into the primary site for activities within the estate, including training, workshops, mother-and-toddler groups, coffee mornings, and education sessions for young people on Saturdays. The partnership reflected that as a cost-free, dedicated space for residents to meet and socialise, the Barnfield Hub helped foster community connections and build pride in the community.
Investing in young people
Establishing a programme to support local young people
The Barnfield Big Local partnership helped establish a local youth organisation. This stemmed from their concern that young residents may fall behind at school, and not move on to further education and employment.
Big Local funding was invested in B. Young Stars, a Woolwich-based youth organisation, to deliver sessions in the Barnfield Hub and across the wider estate. The initiative aimed to provide a secure environment for young people to gather and take part in activities like film nights, table tennis, and education workshops. This commitment remained a priority for the partnership throughout the Big Local programme.
By 2023, over 100 young people had attended one of the B. Young Stars sessions, which were held multiple times a week. Reports from the project highlighted positive outcomes, including skills development, healthier lifestyles, increased confidence, and improved peer engagement.
Local economy
Supporting residents to build skills
The partnership recognised the need to support skills and capacity development among residents to achieve long-term impact in the Barnfield Big Local area. Big Local funding was directed towards projects and courses and enhancing education outcomes for young people. The partnership collaborated with local organisations and colleges around these goals, with residents being supported to attend classes on various subjects. Courses on sewing and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) were particularly well-received.
Big Local funding sponsored the creation of the Barnfield Education Project (BEP) – known locally as the Saturday School – which focused on supporting students aged 8 and above with maths, English, and science. Similarly to B. Young Stars, the partnership’s decision to support BEP stemmed from their desire to help young people keep up in school, and recognition of the financial constraints on accessing private tutors.
By 2023, at least 100 young people had attended a BEP session, with an average of 15 students in each session. The BEP also supported up to eight residents through placements for teaching qualifications and university degrees. The project contributed to students exceeding their expected grades in their SATs, GCSEs, and A Levels; securing university placements; and increasing confidence and improved social skills. Some students reported finding one-to-one tutor support sessions particularly beneficial. The BEP remained a priority for the partnership throughout the duration of the Big Local programme.
Community engagement
Creating lasting change through enabling volunteering
The Big Local partnership addressed community need and created new opportunities for Barnfield residents by drawing on the support of local volunteers. This approach was intended to encourage the community to actively participate in activities, and potentially take on volunteer roles.
The partnership’s volunteering approach included a mother-and-toddler group, initiated by a resident in 2018 in the Barnfield Hub. This group provided a valuable service to parents and opened up opportunities for other residents to volunteer in support of the group. The mother-and-toddler group operated for two years. Similarly, a group of resident volunteers established a craft club in the hub that fostered a space for residents to come together and develop new skills. The initiative not only enhanced residents’ creative abilities, but also facilitated a sense of community and collaboration among attendees.
Outside the hub, a team of 12 volunteers led the formation of Buds of Barnfield, a group set up to revitalise a neglected community garden on the estate. The project provided a valuable outdoor space for the community and established a functional network of residents dedicated to maintaining the garden. The collaborative efforts of the volunteers contributed positively to the physical environment, and benefitted the health and wellbeing of the community.
Place-based pride and connection
Cultivating cohesion in the community
Community cohesion was an important focus for the Barnfield Big Local partnership. As such, Big Local funding supported events, activities, and trips that encouraged residents to come together and offered opportunities for experiences beyond the estate.
This included Tuesday Club, organised by a local volunteer, which provided a variety of activities for older residents and disabled people experiencing isolation. The initiative featured activities such as Tai Chi, coffee mornings, and bingo, and attracted a core group of approximately 20 participants. Similarly, the craft club organised sessions for residents to create costumes for the Woolwich Carnival in 2019, which brought families together and facilitated attendance of the carnival.
Alongside these volunteer-run efforts, the partnership arranged family coach trips to local museums, Hampton Court Palace, and Margate. These trips were attended by an average of 100–200 residents. Additionally, the Barnfield Hub held an event during Black History Month, attended by around 40 people. This awareness-building event offered an opportunity for residents to cook and share foods from their different cultures.
The intention of these initiatives was the unification of residents through shared experiences. By supporting these events and activities, the Barnfield Big Local partnership provided opportunities for community members to come together, and helped build connections among residents.
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 Barnfield Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024) ‘Children aged low-income families: local area statistics’. (Accessed 23 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2012) ‘UK Census 2011: All persons’. (Accessed 23 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 23 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. (Accessed 23 January 2025)