Barrow Island
Key points
- Barrow Island Big Local partnership developed a new community sports and activity hub, which was well used by a range of local groups, organisations and residents, and helped restore a sense of community pride.
- An existing play park was redeveloped to a high standard, which provided a foundation of trusted relationships with the community before more ambitious projects.
- The community came together through activities and events which gave local volunteers the opportunity to gain new skills, leading to sustainable community development.
About the Big Local area
The Barrow Island Big Local area was located to the south of Barrow Town Centre in the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. It was home to one of the largest shipyards in the UK which split the area into two distinct residential communities: Ferry Road Triangle and Island Road.
Barrow Island was an industrial area consisting of mostly terraced housing, with limited green space that could be accessed by residents. In the area there was a primary school, nursery, several shops, and a church. Cavendish Park was home to Barrow Island Bowling Club and three playing fields, and there was a small park (known locally as ‘the Rec’) situated in the centre of the island.
The area was connected to Barrow by road, and there were good bus links to the town centre. However, residents had to travel 33 miles to the nearest motorway to access facilities beyond the town. 40 per cent of residents had no access to a car or van, compared to 25 per cent in the North West (ONS, 2023a).
The area was home to approximately 2,000 residents in 2021 (ONS, 2022). Most of the population were white British, and 89 per cent of jobs in the area were in manufacturing (ONS 2023b; 2023c). Levels of deprivation were higher in Barrow Island than the wider region, with 41 per cent of children aged 0–19 living in relative low-income families compared to 28 per cent in the North West (DWP, 2025).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The partnership was known locally as Barrow Island Community Trust (BICT). As they worked towards their first plan, the group had to address a sense of disappointment and distrust within the community. The partnership reflected that this was due to the perceived failure of previous development projects to deliver what had been promised. This provided them with a strong sense of purpose from the outset; to show their commitment to delivering what the community asked for.
To engage residents, the partnership rented a disused office space to act as a drop-in centre and focal point for consultation. Three clear priorities emerged: an accessible community centre for the two residential areas; play areas for children within walking distance from their homes; and improved sports facilities to reduce the need to travel to the mainland.
The partnership presented their vision in their first plan – to create “a thriving community with good well managed facilities and services that meet the needs of the residents of all ages and stages of life.” This vision remained constant throughout the programme.
A support worker was appointed early on to act as a key point of contact for residents and external organisations, and to support day-to-day activities. The partnership also established a dedicated group to focus on the development of the sports and community hub, whilst the partnership focussed on the rest of the Big Local activities. In addition to Big Local partnership members, the group consisted of representatives from local sports clubs and residents on the island. Eventually, this group registered as a charity, Barrow Island Community Sports Trust (BICST), and constituted a key part of the Big Local’s legacy in the area.
Barrow Island Big Local described themselves as a close-knit, supportive group. They were proud of their passion and determination and felt this kept them going when faced with challenges. Over the course of the programme, they developed skills in public speaking, applying for funding, and communicating with different audiences. They also built positive relationships with key local organisations, including the council, over time. As a result, they felt that residents were better respected and trusted to take action in their area.
Towards the end of the programme, the partnership felt they had achieved what the community asked them to do in their 2012 consultation, and their relationship with residents was strong because of this. Many partnership members were continuing as trustees of the BICST, and, as of 2025, BICST were continuing to support sports teams and community activities in Barrow Island.
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.
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 new local spaces for play and sport
After it emerged as a priority amongst residents, Barrow Island Community Sports Trust (BICST) took on the ambitious project of developing a new community hub with sports facilities.
The group identified Cavendish Park as a possible site for the project. The park was once home to several local sports clubs including a rugby league, the Marsh Hornets. However, the fields were prone to flooding and often unusable, and over time became utilised more by sports groups from Barrow Town than local ones.
In 2014, the partnership obtained a 30-year lease for the hub and playing fields from the council. A ground survey was carried out on the pitches, and the partnership visited several community centres in the surrounding area for inspiration.
The BICST divided the refurbishment into smaller phases and successfully leveraged in additional funding from community organisations and the county council. The redevelopment was challenging at times. There were many stakeholders to manage, and the partnership felt they had been overquoted for work in the early stages of the development. They also found the slow pace of progress frustrating, and there were several unanticipated costs to rectify design oversights. However, the partnership felt they learned a lot from the process: how to communicate with different stakeholders, patience, and confidence to trust their instincts when contracting work. They also felt this project boosted their credibility in the community, and the council was more receptive to future work as a result.
Cavendish Park Hub opened in 2018, following eight years of development and construction work. Known locally as ‘Cav Park’, the multi-purpose space was kitted out with bookable meeting rooms, a hall, a kitchen, and new showers and changing facilities for sports groups using the fields. Improved drainage of the playing fields meant fewer sports games were postponed, and a volunteer group was set up to maintain this.
The partnership felt they had created a ‘home’ on Barrow Island that brought together local groups and built bridges across different factions of the community. Towards the end of Big Local, Cav Park was being regularly booked by local groups or for private events and many new local sports groups had been established to use the space, with the Marsh Hornets also returning to Barrow Island. This became a great source of pride for the community.
Cavendish Park was designed to be self-sustaining once Big Local funding had been spent, largely from hiring the space out. At the end of the Big Local programme, a community asset transfer and a 99-year lease had been secured with the council, and BICST were exploring future possibilities, including plans for a 3G pitch.
Investing in young people
Creating play facilities for children in Barrow Island
In alignment with their plan, Barrow Island Big Local wanted to improve play facilities for children that were within walking distance from their homes. While the Cavendish Park development was underway, the partnership refurbished play facilities at Farm Street Recreation Ground (known locally as ‘the Rec’), where existing play equipment was worn out.
The partnership saw this as a quick win project to build trust with the local community and prove they could deliver what they said they would. The partnership co-developed the Rec with local children, who were supported to take a bus tour of play parks in different areas to inspire designs. This gave young people a sense of ownership and pride in the space, as well as raising the profile of the project.
The ‘grand opening’ took place early in the programme, in July 2014, and was attended by over 500 residents, members of the local council, and BBC Radio Cumbria. The colourful new play park featured swings and climbing frames. The partnership reflected that many people on Barrow Island did not have gardens, and the park gave them a green space to enjoy. It became popular with families on the island and beyond and was maintained by the local council.
After seeing the success of the new facilities at the Rec, residents from Ferry Road Triangle requested similar facilities of a smaller scale, as the Rec was harder for them to get to due to the physical divide created by the shipyard. The partnership responded to this request quickly and drew up plans for a play park on Stanley Road, in the Ferry Road Triangle area. The park was installed in 2019 and fitted with four different play units aimed at younger children.
Place-based pride and connection
Reinstating and creating popular community activities
Through their community consultation, the partnership discovered that many residents missed the sports gala that used to take place on the island. In 2015, the partnership reinstated the gala at the newly acquired playing fields at Cavendish Park. It was attended by over 1,000 residents, with local people offering to volunteer in planning and running the event. This became an annual event spread across two days with sports activities, dancing, tombola, music and food. It also helped generate interest in Cavendish Park as it was undergoing refurbishment and allowed the partnership to continue consulting with and engaging residents. Responsibility for running the gala was taken on by the Barrow Island Community Sports Trust, and towards the end of Big Local the group were continuing to run these annual sports galas.
The success of this prompted the partnership to run many more community events, including family party nights, a children’s Christmas party, and community day trips.
Community engagement
Supporting residents to lead activities and build connections
Barrow Island Big Local’s Community Grants scheme aimed to support local community groups and individuals by providing small amounts of funding for existing or new activities.
One of the most successful grantee initiatives was a ‘Pensioners’ High Tea’ party for older residents, ran from the local church. This began with a £250 grant to a resident and proved so popular they were able to start charging a small fee so that it could continue running independently of Big Local funding. Attendance doubled, and the tea became an annual event that connected older people in the community while local groups provided entertainment, including the local choir.
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 Barrow Island Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2025) ‘Children in low income families: local area statistics’. (Accessed 18 September 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 18 September 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: No cars or vans in household’. (Accessed 18 September 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. (Accessed 18 September 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES): Regional level employment by broad industry group’. (Accessed 18 September 2025)