Broad Green
Key points
- A Community Investment Grants scheme empowered residents and local organisations to lead diverse projects that reflected the area’s needs and priorities.
- A disused café was transformed into a vibrant, welcoming community hub where residents could access services, build connections, and take part in activities.
- The partnership worked collaboratively to create Broad Green Common, a development including a new hub and garden for long-term community use.
About the Big Local area
The Broad Green Big Local area sat in the north of the London Borough of Croydon, and included parts of three different wards – Broad Green, Selhurst, and West Thornton. The area was densely populated compared to the rest of London (ONS, 2023a), with a population of 16,512 (ONS, 2022). Thirty-one per cent of the area’s population identified as Black, and 29 per cent as Asian, compared to 14 and 21 per cent in wider London respectively (ONS, 2023b; 2023c). Twenty-seven per cent of the area’s population were White, compared to 54 per cent in wider London (ONS, 2023d).
Twenty-four per cent of the area’s residents under the age of 20, lived in relative low-income families, compared to 18 per cent in London (DWP, 2025). The area’s crime rate was almost twice that of wider London (Police UK, 2025). Aside from a small recreation ground, green space in the area was limited, with large parks sitting just outside the Big Local boundary. It was a busy area with a range of shops, and a well-established voluntary sector. The area was well connected by bus routes, tram links, and the West Croydon railway station.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
Known locally as Big Local Broad Green, delivery was led by a core group of voting resident members and non-voting advisory members, who formed themed subgroups to coordinate different projects. The partnership was generally reflective of the area’s diversity in terms of ethnicity, age, and gender. They were supported by several paid worker roles throughout the programme, who helped attract additional funding, build local connections, and support The Hub.
Early in the Big Local programme, the partnership identified potential challenges around community consultation. Broad Green had been heavily affected by the London riots of 2011. Much of the dedicated post-riot funding was left unspent (London Assembly, 2014), and the partnership reflected that the way funds had been used created some cynicism in the community towards external funding bodies and regeneration projects. Despite this, the partnership noted the strength of the local voluntary sector and existing community activity. Partnership members and workers used their local networks and connections to widen the reach of Broad Green Big Local, involve new residents, and identify priority issues.
To engage the community and develop their plan, the partnership did ‘walkabouts’ with stakeholders and residents – tours of the local area to discuss issues and opportunities. They spoke at schools, places of worship and local organisations, and carried out visioning exercises, leaflet drops, and surveys. Resident consultation continued throughout the programme. Towards the end of Big Local, ahead of their final plan, the steering group recruited a plan writer and consultation co-ordinator to complete participatory research training and consult the community.
The vision which emerged from these activities was for Broad Green to be a vibrant and thriving place whose people – young and old – are united, connected, resilient to change, and proud to live here. They identified priorities including building a united and stronger community; supporting people in vulnerable circumstances; improving the environment; and improving financial literacy. These priorities remained broadly consistent throughout the programme, later expanding to include health and wellness, and creating more places to go and things to do.
The partnership experienced periods of conflict and disruption which impacted decision-making and delivery. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic brought further disruption, leading to a significant turnover of workers, partnership members, and a change in the area’s Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO). Despite these challenges, a resident-led structure was maintained throughout, and a partnership was re-established to continue delivering in the area.
The partnership saw themselves as enablers, who worked to build the capacity of local groups and to provide support where opportunities arose. Big Local funding was invested in a range of activities through a small grants programme, which aimed to empower residents to lead their own projects. In 2018 the partnership secured The Hub, a former café which had fallen into disrepair. Big Local funding was invested in refurbishment, and under the agreement the partnership could lease the space for free, using it to host activities and events for residents.
The partnership’s grants programme and their provision of community space were key to their legacy. They considered this legacy to be increased local capacity, greater confidence amongst residents, more community activity, and new spaces where residents could come together.
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.
A locally trusted organisation (LTO) was the organisation chosen by people in a Big Local area or the partnership to administer and account for funding, and/or deliver activities or services on behalf of a partnership. Areas might have worked with more than one locally trusted organisation depending on the plan and the skills and resources required.
What the Big Local area did
Community engagement
Using grants to empower residents and organisations to lead projects
The Big Local Broad Green partnership recognised the level of existing community activity and volunteering in the area, and responded by introducing an open proposal scheme called Community Investment Grants, to further enable resident-led activities. Members of the partnership and workers used their local connections to promote the grants scheme, which aimed to fund activities that reflected the area’s diversity.
The grants initially offered up to £500 for individual applicants, and £2,500 for community groups. As the programme progressed, larger awards were made when opportunities aligned particularly closely with the partnership’s priorities. Most of the grants awarded were between £2,000 and £2,500, though some were as large as £25,000.
Funded projects included free boxing sessions for under 16s, sewing classes, fitness sessions for over 50s, a gardening project, DJ workshops, and film production training. Various community events were also funded, such as a jerk cookout event, and a Black History Month event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush.
The programme helped strengthen the capacity of local organisations. A large grant for a youth centre in Croydon supported the creation of The Hideout Library, a library and study centre which offered a homework club, mentoring, a book club, and creative writing workshops. Another grant helped a resident establish their own charity, providing educational, recreational, and arts programmes, including a five-day summer programme for girls aged 13–17 to explore storytelling, dance, and podcasting.
Funding resident-led activity in this way meant the Big Local Broad Green partnership were able to work towards their goal of building a stronger, more unified community. Ultimately the scheme supported over 50 projects across priorities including crime reduction, youth activities, and mental health.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Funding programmes addressing knife crime and domestic violence
Community consultation showed that Broad Green residents were concerned about crime and safety. In response, Big Local funding was allocated to local organisations with specialist knowledge working to address these issues.
Funding was allocated to Freedom Together, a Community Interest Company (CIC) to deliver a 12-week programme for women and girls to raise awareness of and offer support related to domestic abuse and sexual violence. Participants in the programme reported that they had gained a new understanding of domestic abuse. One family accessed safe temporary housing, and others received legal advice and counselling. After the end of the programme, the participants created a WhatsApp group to stay in touch and continue to support each other.
The partnership also supported two initiatives relating to knife crime. Inspire New Creative Performing Arts (INCPA) was funded to deliver 10 weeks of creative workshops in drama, singing, and dance, and specialist sessions addressing knife crime and encouraging participants to express themselves. Project 4 Youth Empowerment (P4YE) was supported to launch a youth-led podcast exploring themes related to knife crime, safety, and how young people feel about their community. On the podcast, young people discussed real-life scenarios and challenged misconceptions about knives and the impact of carrying them.
Community assets and spaces
Creating and running a vibrant community space
With the transformation and opening of The Hub in 2019, the Big Local Broad Green partnership gained a base for operations and a dedicated venue for activities. The venue was a former café refurbished to become a valuable community space, where residents could access information, services, and training, and where local groups could meet and run activities. By 2022, around 20 groups were regularly delivering services from The Hub.
Activities related to health and wellbeing were a central part of the programming at The Hub, with some run directly by the partnership and others funded by the grants programme. The Big Local Broad Green team ran a weekly Women’s Wellness Series, giving women a relaxed space to connect, enjoy refreshments, and explore wellbeing topics. Other popular activities included a coffee and crafts club, art sessions (visited by the local MP), and a club for over-50s that helped build friendships through games, meals, and live music.
In addition to social and wellbeing activities, residents could access vital services and provisions at The Hub. The partnership worked with Fareshare to run the Friends Food Club from The Hub, providing weekly food bags for £3. Sessions were run about the Windrush compensation scheme, providing residents with support with eligibility checks, form-filling, and appeals. The Hub also hosted one-off events, such as the Croydon Photography Forum’s Black History Month showcase, and an art exhibition celebrating 1960s fashion and music, which attracted around 100 residents.
As the Big Local programme ended, the terms of the partnership’s agreement with the building owner changed, which meant The Hub could no longer be leased. By this point, the partnership had successfully run the space for six years, providing a launchpad for local groups to bring ideas to life, a regular programme of activities, and supporting residents.
Place-based pride and connection
Investing in environmental improvements and creative activities
Early in Big Local, the partnership collaborated with Croydon Council’s Broad Green Regeneration Officer on projects to improve the local environment and build community pride, including the installation of 56 new street signs reading ‘Historic Broad Green Village’. They also worked with the Regeneration Officer and Harris Invictus Academy on a creative project, inviting young people to design artwork for construction hoardings at Canterbury Recreation Ground.
Alongside physical improvements, the partnership organised events to help residents to connect, encourage creativity, and generate community pride. In 2022, they hosted the first ever Broad Green in Bloom, a competition for the best public display of plants and flowers. Cash prizes of £50 were awarded across three categories: front gardens; balconies, window boxes, hanging baskets and planters; and displays created by organisations, schools, faith centres, and businesses.
The following year, the partnership delivered the Big Common Mural, a community mural-painting event on London Road, as part of the London Borough of Culture 2023 programme. Led by an artist and supported by volunteers and local developer Common Projects, the event invited residents of all ages to help paint the mural. The partnership provided equipment, lunch, drinks, and music throughout the weekend, creating a fun and collaborative atmosphere to foster community pride.
Working collaboratively
Collaborating to transform an unused area into a community pavilion and garden
Working with the development company Common Projects, the Broad Green partnership created a proposal for a new pavilion building and surrounding gardens on London Road. The site, Zodiac Court, was a former 1960s brutalist office block, a large concrete building that the partnership described as underused and alienating.
When the proposal for The Pavilion was initiated, the building had already been converted into flats by Common Project, but the site’s forecourt remained unused. The proposal reimagined the forecourt as Broad Green Common, featuring a community pavilion with a café and landscaped gardens designed by Planit-IE.
Big Local funding (£220,000) was invested in the project, which was match funded by the developers. The partnership led a community consultation process to inform the proposal, using their local connections, which had been built over years of community-focused work and meant they were trusted to incorporate resident voices into local decision-making. Consultation showed that residents wanted a building and green space that would be available for the community long into the future.
At the end of the Big Local programme, Communities First Foundation took on the lease and responsibility for managing the space in partnership with Croydon Business Association. It officially opened at the end of 2025 with a new name, Croydon Smile Hub. The hub featured rooms available to hire and provided space for community activities, including entrepreneurship programmes for local women, poetry workshops, mental health support, and mayoral hustings.
The partnership saw this project as a key part of their legacy. After supporting and enabling community action through Big Local, they successfully created a permanent site for residents and community groups to use after the Big Local funding was spent.
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 Broad Green 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’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2024 (Accessed 17 November 2025)
London Assembly (2014) ‘Out of the ashes: The Mayor’s Regeneration Fund’. Available at:
london.gov.uk/about-us/about-us/london-assembly/london-assembly-publications/out-ashes (Accessed 17 November 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/ populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 17 November 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Population density’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS006/editions/2021/versions/4 (Accessed 17 November 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 17 November 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 17 November 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023d) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 17 November 2025)
Police UK (2025) ‘Crime type: All crimes (12 month total)’. Available at: data.police.uk/data (Accessed 17 November 2025)