The Birchfield Big Local area was in a densely populated, multi-cultural, suburban neighbourhood a few miles north of Birmingham city centre (ONS, 2023a; 2023b; 2023c). There were two small shopping parades but few community meeting spaces. Other than a large allotment site and the nearby Handsworth Park, there was little accessible open space. Housing was diverse, with Victorian villas (often in multiple occupation), terraced housing, inter-war semi-detached housing, and new developments. There was a high proportion of households in private or social rented accommodation — 39 per cent of households were owner-occupied (compared with 63 per cent in the West Midlands) (ONS, 2023d; 2023e; 2023f).
In 2021, Birchfield’s population was 8,890, with a relatively young profile — 25 per cent were aged under 16, compared with 19 per cent across the West Midlands (ONS, 2022a; 2022b). Birchfield was among the 10 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in England (MHCLG, 2019). Unemployment was high — 7 per cent of economically active residents were not in work compared to 3 per cent in the West Midlands (ONS, 2022c).
Birchfield Big Local involved a partnership of residents and representatives of local organisations and agencies. The partnership developed from a steering group initially formed in 2012 by the neighbourhood forum. Community consultation the following year consisted of a survey and interviews with people who lived or worked in Birchfield, pop-up events and roadshows, and two community conferences. The first conference focussed on priorities and the second on creating a shared vision. The partnership continued to host regular fun days and events, including Its Your Birchfield in 2018, where they consulted residents about ward changes and priorities for Big Local work.
The vision was for a neighbourhood where the diverse community would feel empowered and engaged to address local issues. Theme groups were set up to work towards this by producing action plans for projects organised around a set of core priorities. Priorities included the local environment and open spaces; local services (including health); and the local economy (including developing social enterprise). Later, the vision was consolidated into three elements: connecting (a well-served and connected community); contributing (an engaged and empowered community); and celebrating (a place where citizens are equal, nurtured, and have a collective sense of ownership).
The partnership appointed a full-time community development worker, part-time volunteer coordinator, and part-time youth worker. While the partnership was responsible for decision-making and oversight of delivery, the workers helped coordinate activities. Ongoing activity was led by a core group of 15 to 20 volunteers, who were recruited, trained and supported by the volunteer coordinator. The intention was to create a diverse range of volunteering opportunities in the community, which helped residents meet others and contribute their skills and time.
The Birchfield Big Local partnership frequently worked collaboratively on projects and joint bids with local organisations (like the neighbourhood forum and social enterprises) and with organisations across Birmingham. A collaboration with the Birchfield Residents Action Group (BRAG), for instance, continued throughout Big Local. Big Local funding was used for a project officer to organise regular, well-attended fetes and to deliver a project supporting adults in vulnerable circumstances to take part in food growing activities.
The partnership wanted to leave behind a group of people who care about the future of the area and who engage with residents, focusing on cohesion and community pride, opportunities for young people, and local enterprise. To pursue its legacy plans, the partnership set up a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Birchfield Community Association (BCA). Extending beyond the Big Local area to cover the whole of the Birchfield ward, the new organisation sought to continue to build residents’ capacity to identify needs and priorities and take action to address them. Several residents involved in the partnership, along with new recruits, became the initial trustee board for the community association. As Big Local came to an end, BCA worked on its governance mechanisms, a business plan, and a funding strategy. BCA took over the employment of the community development worker and continued some of the Big Local activities, alongside developing new projects (like home energy advice).
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.
The Birchfield Big Local partnership was proactive about engaging and collaborating with statutory authorities, specialist agencies, and other community groups. This was in recognition of the scale of local challenges and a belief that they would be more successful bringing in additional resources if they worked with larger groups with a track record of delivering projects.
An example of such collaboration was the work aimed at addressing local fuel poverty. The partnership commissioned research into the issue, recognising the health impacts of fuel poverty and poorly insulated housing. Following the report, the partnership worked with local organisations (including a community association and Sikh temple) to develop a successful bid for the Ofgem Energy Redress Scheme, for a community-based fuel poverty advice and advocacy service.
In Birchfield, the Energy Redress Scheme enabled the partnership to employ a part-time worker to advise residents on energy bills and insulation. Through a drop-in service, phone line, case work, and community events, the project aimed to alleviate the impact of fuel price increases and reduce the mental health impacts of fuel poverty.
The collaboration behind the project worked well. Subsequently, the Birchfield Big Local legacy body joined 20 community-based organisations to form the Birmingham Community Anchor Network (B:CAN), through which further funding was received to extend the fuel poverty work.
The partnership paid particular attention to the perceived lack of community and open spaces, and quality of environment in Birchfield. They sought to progress their plans for a dedicated community hub through a community assets survey, a feasibility study, and community consultation. After lengthy negotiations, their plan (to refurbish and lease an empty local school building) fell through. The partnership quickly made another plan, relocating to a nearby church building, working with the church to share facilities and increase community use. The church went on to host the legacy organisation and its ongoing activities.
With help from The Conservation Volunteers, residents cleared a small plot of disused land to create the Secret Garden, used for community gardening, youth activities, outdoor children’s play activities, and events. Big Local funding was invested in new play equipment, and volunteers were trained to run regular play sessions. Young people worked with a local charity on My Endz, a project creating a colourful community mural on the site. Big Local volunteers set up a yurt in the garden for lantern-making workshops before the Light Night community event, where the trail ended in the Secret Garden.
The partnership supported the Birchfield Residents Action Group (BRAG) to run the annual Bloom in Birchfield showcase. The showcase aimed to encourage pride in the local environment and was linked to the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) national It’s Your Neighbourhood competition. Activities included a front garden competition and community workdays to plant up communal spaces and create hanging baskets for shopping areas. The partnership felt the campaign boosted local engagement and pride, and improved the local environment. It repeatedly achieved Thriving awards, gaining a special merit and a feature profile in the national RHS magazine. This work led BRAG and the partnership to engage with the local council and social landlord to develop a local environmental strategy and action plan, focusing on fly-tipping and litter.
The Birchfield partnership co-delivered a three-year project – Hard Times Require Furious Dancing – with nearby Welsh House Farm Big Local, under the Creative Civic Change programme. The project involved music, art, and poetry workshops; an exhibition; support for the Birchfield Jazz Festival; and pop-up performances and creative play sessions in open spaces during Covid-19 lockdowns. For the exhibition, a local artist and photographer mentored residents to use their mobile phones to take and share photographs of their lives during lockdown.
In addition to Hard Times Require Furious Dancing, a group of volunteers ran a regular programme of activities. These included an elders’ group, a women’s group, English conversation classes, Stepping Forward Job Club (helping residents access local employment and training opportunities), community events, and children’s play activities. The volunteers also established two heritage trails to celebrate the history and diverse cultural heritage of Birchfield. Some volunteers went on to gain certificates in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and undertook university courses in teaching and youth work.
Alongside Big Local, between 2018–2022 Local Trust also ran the Creative Civic Change programme, an experimental funding programme that supported 15 communities across England to shape, lead and commission arts and creative interventions to make positive social change where they lived. Some Big Local areas were involved, alongside other areas.
The Birchfield partnership sought to support the local economy through the investment of Big Local funding in developing local social enterprises. Working with UnLtd, the partnership introduced an enterprise awards scheme. Through a total of 25 enterprise awards, the partnership supported residents to become social entrepreneurs, training them in the skills needed to set up their own ventures.
A social enterprise hub was established at the partnership’s rented office space. The hub was supported by a local social enterprise and a part-time coordinator, employed by Birchfield Big Local, to run a network and training workshops. The Social Enterprise Directory was produced, showcasing 22 local social enterprises. These included a project for composting garden waste and upcycling household items; a park café and boating enterprise; and social enterprises focusing on sports coaching, music therapy, activities for over 50s, and health and fitness training.
Part of the Birchfield Big Local partnership’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic involved commissioning eight local social enterprises to address emerging health and wellbeing priorities. Examples included a personal development and leadership programme for teenagers; a programme of weekly walks; an online diabetes programme (including food swaps and cooking sessions); and Grow Your Soup (helping residents grow vegetables and herbs at home).
Residents’ health and wellbeing was a priority in successive Big Local plans. Several projects were delivered successfully by volunteers or commissioned local organisations, including a community acupuncture clinic for people managing long-term conditions and online fitness and wellbeing sessions. Big Local volunteers established a telephone befriending network to regularly connect with older and socially isolated residents.
Much of the partnership’s activity was oriented towards improving wellbeing by bringing people together. For example, the elders group; the Secret Garden; activities for families with disabled children; daytrips; and community events (like family fun days, the Birchfield Jazz Festival, and the Light Night lantern event).
Local women expressed the need for opportunities to get together and discuss shared experiences and concerns in a friendly, relaxed, and confidential setting. The partnership responded by setting up a women’s group. Group members built confidence and volunteered across the work of Birchfield Big Local, for example in youth work.
The women’s group took part in an outreach project with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, involving creative performance workshops. The work culminated in Our Feast, a performance of powerful and often sensitive personal stories by the women, to a full house at the music studios in Birchfield.
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.
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 Birchfield Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Population aged under 16’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022c) ‘UK Census 2021: Economic activity status, England and Wales’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Population density’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023d) ‘UK Census 2021: Private rented housing’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023e) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023f) ‘UK Census 2021: Owner occupied housing’. (Accessed 10 December 2025)
