Bradley
Key points
- Sports activities and educational support were provided for local children, particularly those from low-income families.
- Grants for local organisations and aspiring entrepreneurs generated activity and fostered connections.
- Four new homes were built on unused land and made available below market value to improve affordability.
About the Big Local area
The Bradley Big Local area was one of five wards in the town of Nelson, in Pendle, East Lancashire. The area had many businesses and community facilities, three primary schools, a college, a nursery, and an early years centre. While there was limited green space, several parks and nature reserves surrounded Bradley, and Leeds and Liverpool Canal ran through the area.
In 2021, the population of the area was 7,710, of which 27 per cent were aged under 16, compared to 19 per cent in the wider region (ONS, 2022a; 2022b). Fifty-eight per cent of the population was Asian, compared to nine per cent in the North West, and 30 per cent were White British, compared to 80 per cent in the North West (ONS, 2023a; 2023b). The partnership reflected that Reedyford Road formed a dividing line between these two ethnic communities.
Bradley had high levels of deprivation and fell within the top 10 per cent of deprived communities in England in 2019 (MHCLG, 2019). Sixty-one per cent of children in the area aged 19 and under were in relatively low-income families, compared to 27 per cent in the North West (DWP, 2025).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The Bradley Big Local partnership focused their first plan around four strands of work, each with a dedicated budget and milestone. These strands were: building community wealth, establishing a Community Land Trust, improving community housing, and supporting recreational activities. They later merged the Community Land Trust and community housing strands. Towards the end of Big Local, the themes were updated to health and wellbeing; support for children and families; and community safety and cohesion.
Before creating plans, the partnership consulted residents at open partnership meetings and Big Local events to incorporate resident feedback. Several projects were shaped by partnership members’ informal discussions with their communities. The partnership also ran a series of ticketed Bradley Soup events for local entrepreneurs to pitch ideas to win small grants. Partnership members reflected that although residents took part in Big Local activities, it was hard to engage them in decision-making and prioritising. However, members felt that towards the end of Big Local, resident engagement had improved because of their increased focus on funding and supporting grassroots community initiatives.
The partnership reflected both the White and Asian working-class communities in Bradley. The dedicated core group worked with a larger pool of volunteers who supported activities and events. Workers were intermittently employed to support resident engagement, communications, and apply for additional funding, but partnership members also delivered a lot of this work.
The partnership operated from the Grassroots Centre until they established a Community Land Trust and acquired a lease for the larger Hodge House Community Centre. From this point, the partnership based most of their delivery from the centre and its playing fields.
Towards the end of Big Local, the partnership had changes in membership and navigated interpersonal conflict, ultimately shifting towards a commissioning model. Working with Burnley Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service, the partnership distributed grants to local organisations for activities, which were often supported by partnership members. The partnership also offered space at the community centre to local groups for activities. This built the capacity of local organisations and fostered relationships between community groups and local stakeholders, and with Big Local.
The Bradley partnership decided not to continue beyond the end of Big Local. They saw their legacy as the physical assets they delivered for the community, and the projects they supported, many of which would continue.
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.
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.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Refurbishing and creating outdoor communal spaces
In their first plan, the Bradley Big Local partnership recognised a lack of well-maintained play facilities for young children. They identified a particular play area next to Hodge House Community Centre which had lacked investment for around 25 years. As one of their first projects to support recreational activities, the partnership worked with Pendle Borough Council’s Park and Recreation Department to set out an action plan to refurbish the play area.
The project had two phases: the development of the play park, and the development of an adjacent adult fitness area (funded by the Lancashire Environmental Network). A total of £125,000 (from Big Local funding and Lancashire Environmental Network) was committed to the project, which was completed in May 2017.
The partnership created a new meeting place for residents of all ages to socialise, play, and exercise. They considered this work a flagship project to raise their profile in the community. As Big Local neared its end, the partnership reflected that the spaces were being used daily by residents, especially during summer.
Community engagement
Hosting events to support local initiatives and bring residents together
Early on, the partnership ran the first Bradley Soup – evening events where local entrepreneurs pitched business ideas to secure grants. Attendees paid £5 for a ticket, which included a meal prepared by a local catering company, and the opportunity to hear pitches and vote for their favourites. Four standard grants of £500, £250, £150, and £100 were available, with additional funding for each grant from ticket sales.
The partnership worked with Bradley Community Association to deliver the event, which saw high attendance from the community, businesses, and elected councillors. Representatives from the business development team at Pendle Borough Council also attended to offer support to people kickstarting businesses. In addition to the chance to receive funding, participants reported that the event helped them to build their confidence in public speaking.
The event supported several local businesses and initiatives. For example, a freelance sound engineer used a grant to buy equipment, going on to work with high profile musicians and theatres. Another grant was given to a local shelter supporting young people experiencing homelessness used a grant to create a sensory room (a calm, safe space for young people with additional needs).
Setting up a Community Fund to support community groups through grants
Towards the end of Big Local, as they transitioned into a new way of working, the Bradley Big Local partnership worked with Burnley Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service to distribute grants to local groups via their Community Fund. Grants of up to £3,000 were offered to groups like The Good Life Project and the Female Friendship Forum.
The Good Life Project was a local growing project situated at Hodge House Allotments, run by Pendle Leisure Trust. They received several grants from the Community Fund to support activities (like gardening, arts and crafts, and cooking classes), helping residents to be creative and connect with nature. One grant supported a community open day, where residents explored the outdoor space and took part in creative activities.
The Female Friendship Forum was a volunteer-run women’s group, providing a support network and activities for around 55 residents, to build mental wellbeing, confidence, and friendships. The Forum received £9,000 in grants for yoga classes, arts and crafts workshops, outdoor trips, and activities with The Good Life Project and Pennine Oaks (an outdoor activity organisation). The Forum also hosted coffee mornings and lunch clubs at the Hodge House Community Centre.
Investing in young people
Setting up after-school tuition for primary and secondary school students
In the early years of Big Local, the partnership established Bradley After School Education Support (BASES) to provide after-school tuition support for students in year 10 and 11, hiring a worker to oversee the project. The programme was delivered with Pendle Vale College (the local high school), who also contributed funding.
Tuition was free for young residents who qualified for free school meals, while others could access it for about half the cost of similar support in the area. As well as supporting children from low-income families, the programme prioritised students who were struggling to meet their target grades at school.
Students reported a positive impact on their grades and that they appreciated the small group sizes and opportunity to revise without distractions. After the initial funding from Big Local and Pendle Vale College, the BASES worker was able to establish the programme as an independently run social enterprise. At the end of Big Local, BASES had moved to the local primary school and was continuing to run as an established social enterprise.
Organising affordable local activities and clubs
In consultation for the partnership’s final plan, residents suggested a local football team could enable young people to engage in activities without travelling outside Bradley. Bradley Big Local commissioned qualified Football Association coaches (SM Coaching) to deliver free football sessions for all experience levels. The partnership estimated that an average of 20 to 30 young residents attended each session, which provided team-building activities, football skills development, and professional tutoring.
As well as supporting football, Big Local funding was used for 60 ‘family swim’ tickets (two adults and up to three children) for Pendle Leisure Trust Centre. They gave 20 tickets to each of the three local primary schools to distribute, based on their knowledge of local families, so that those who would benefit most received the tickets.
Walk and Talk (a community interest company focused on health, wellbeing, and social inclusion) was supported through the Community Fund, to set up a youth club at Hodge House Community Centre. The club met on a weekly, then twice-weekly basis, and provided fun activities for children aged 12 to 16. Sessions were often delivered with other organisations, and included open discussions on sensitive topics, offering a friendly, supportive space for young people.
A grant from Bradley Big Local also paid for Walk and Talk to host a camping trip for 12- to 16-year-olds. Children could take part in activities like cycling, walking, archery, and a forest school, designed to improve their self-esteem and strengthen bonds.
Place-based pride and connection
Organising trips and events for residents to come together
Throughout Big Local, funding was allocated for annual trips to Blackpool and Southport for families. The Bradley partnership described these trips as quick wins, which used small amounts of funding but made a big impact on families and engaged them with Big Local. Residents could enjoy the beach, theme park, pier, play areas, crazy golf, shopping centre, and water sports, and the partnership reflected that this was particularly impactful for families who could not otherwise afford these kinds of days out.
Towards the end of Big Local, the partnership ran several Summer Fayres, providing activities for residents (like a bouncy castle, children’s activities, games, face painting, arts and crafts, and food). Local people and businesses sold crafted items and other wares, while organisations (like Pendle Leisure Trust, Together Housing, the police, and fire service) were invited to improve community connections.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Supporting households during the Covid-19 pandemic
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, £5,000 in Big Local funding was allocated to set up Bradley Food2Go, a project delivering hot meals every Friday to local households. Supported households included those of key workers, residents severely financially impacted by the pandemic, and residents who were shielding or otherwise unable to leave their house.
The project was delivered with the Community Foundation for Lancashire. Meals were prepared by local businesses, which provided them with some financial support at a time when many businesses might otherwise have closed. The partnership telephoned new households to check dietary requirements, which also provided an opportunity to ask residents about other support they might need and signpost appropriate services.
The project quickly grew to deliver an average of 50 to 60 meals a week, and over the 20 weeks it ran, around 1,440 hot meals were delivered. At the end of the project, Bradley Big Local worked with Hamlett Films to make a film about it and to celebrate the impact of their work.
Working collaboratively
Working with local stakeholders to build new houses on unused land
The partnership was aware of unused land which had been reserved for a housing project which fell through, where they hoped to build new homes for the Bradley community. This became an early ambitious project for the partnership, who felt that the Big Local funding presented an opportunity to take risks.
The partnership created a business plan and set up a Community Land Trust early in Big Local to manage the project, with several partnership members sitting on the board of the Trust. Bradley Big Local worked with the Trust and Pendle Borough Council, including undertaking research about the local housing market, before signing an agreement with the council for the land transfer. The partnership and trust worked closely together to commission architects and quantity surveyors to plan four houses, and the Trust employed local people to carry out the works, sourced local materials, and hired a local construction company.
In 2021, five years after establishing the Community Land Trust, the Beech Street development was completed, and comprised four three-bedroom houses with small gardens and driveways. The Trust agreed to offer a 20 per cent discount to qualifying purchasers (first-time buyers with a local connection), following an income assessment.
However, due to challenges in the housing market, the pool of potential buyers was extended from Bradley to the wider area of Nelson. The partnership put in place a covenant which prevented buyers purchasing the houses for less than market value and selling them on for a profit. All four houses were sold by 2022, and funding from their sale was recycled into the Community Land Trust, to support the programme of activities at Hodge House Community Centre.
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 Bradley 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 2 December 2025)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. (Accessed 2 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 2 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Population aged under 16’. (Accessed 2 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh’. (Accessed 2 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. (Accessed 2 December 2025)