The Brookside Big Local area spanned a housing estate in the south of Telford, built in the 1970s. The estate was set within a ring road, with residential dead-end roads making it less easily navigable by car, but with numerous footpaths connecting the different areas of the estate. During Big Local, Brookside had a shopping area, post office, community centre, communal green areas, and a skatepark.
The area included a mix of owner-occupied, social rented, and privately rented homes. Brookside had a higher proportion of rented homes than wider Telford – 43 per cent were privately rented (compared to 21 per cent) and 22 per cent were social rented (compared to 18 per cent) (ONS, 2023a; 2023b).
In 2021, the area had a population of 4,831; 76 per cent of which were White British (ONS, 2022; 2023c). A high proportion of children aged 0–19 lived in relative low-income families (40 per cent compared to 26 per cent in Telford), and 26 per cent of residents left school at 16 years old without qualifications (DWP, 2025; ONS, 2023d).
The Brookside Big Local partnership’s vision centred on improving existing assets, making services available to all residents, creating a safer environment, and providing a programme of activities and events for all ages. Early priorities included developing the community centre, supporting health and wellbeing, and encouraging community involvement. The partnership regularly accessed support to review their plans, commissioning interviews with partner organisations and key individuals to inform their priorities.
Early in Big Local the partnership focussed on supporting local organisations and social enterprises to develop ideas, like Take 5 – a cafe offering affordable healthy meals to residents. A small grants scheme supported local groups (with £500 each), including Brookside pre-school, a women’s rugby group, and a community first aid group. The partnership later moved away from supporting social enterprise and focused their efforts more closely on young people and providing events for the community.
The partnership experienced a high turnover of members through Big Local, due to a combination of health needs, interpersonal challenges, and changing priorities. While this meant new ideas were generated, it also slowed the partnership’s progress and challenged their capacity. They appointed paid staff throughout to engage with the community and support established groups. The partnership reflected that paid support helped them deliver on their priorities and enabled them to commit time and capacity to develop new ideas.
Throughout Big Local, the partnership worked alongside the community centre and other stakeholders, aiming to deliver activities by working with existing local groups (like the Brookside Improvement Group and Brookside Events Group). They also commissioned other organisations and worked with local authorities on important issues like fly-tipping.
Different approaches were trialled to engage the wider community in decision-making, including hosting open meetings, replicating the same monthly agenda at two meetings at different times to suit a wider range of schedules. The partnership used an informal approach to improve inclusion – making space for movement during discussions, providing food, and having toys for children. However, following partnership membership changes and a reduction in capacity following the Covid-19 pandemic, a more structured approach to meetings was introduced to bring clarity and momentum towards the end of the programme. In that final phase, the partnership identified three projects to focus on, related to mental health, young people, and Citizens Advice sessions.
Early in Big Local, the Brookside partnership supported the creation of a new Community Interest Organisation (CIO) to manage the Brookside Central Community Centre. The CIO later became the Brookside Big Local Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) and was key to the partnership’s legacy. At the end of Big Local, the CIO planned to continue engaging residents and managing the community centre into the future.
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 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.
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.
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.
An early priority for the Big Local partnership was to develop the capacity for the community to own the Brookside Central Community Centre, providing residents with a central venue. The partnership held visioning events with the community to explore how the centre could meet residents’ needs.
In 2016, the centre was at risk of closure due to funding cuts. Big Local funding (£141,000) was allocated to support partnership members and other community members in creating a new Community Interest Organisation (CIO) – Brookside Central CIO. The CIO took on the management of the centre on behalf of its leaseholders, and the Big Local partnership could use the space as an office and for partnership meetings.
The partnership worked with Brookside Central CIO to deliver activities at the centre, including jumble sales, self-defence classes, a dominos club, and a social knitting group. The centre became a base for Citizens Advice, credit union drop-in sessions, and a weekly youth club (for children aged five to 18). The centre also had a community fridge (relying on ad hoc donations from residents and businesses) which developed into a community pantry (a membership based system) with FareShare providing a reliable and wider selection of food at affordable prices.
The partnership’s support of the centre became central to delivering services and social connection, and partnership members considered it a key achievement. Brookside Central CIO continued managing the centre and delivering projects beyond the end of Big Local, including a weekly Just Money session providing financial services and support to residents, a play club for children, a women’s health group, art classes, and a support package for veterans.
Working to tackle social isolation and remove barriers to exercise, the Brookside Big Local partnership supported a local Be Active group to continue providing Tai Chi, badminton, and yoga, which were previously funded by Sports England. The partnership hoped the activities could become self-sustaining, so they supported trained instructors to deliver sessions and develop marketing packages. This helped instructors to take ownership of the activities and continue providing them for a small fee.
A resident suggested an outdoor gym after seeing similar gyms elsewhere, with the aim of providing a free, healthy activity for residents. The partnership worked with local authorities to commission a contractor to install equipment, and later secured a maintenance agreement with Telford and Wrekin Council alongside a grant to train six residents as outdoor gym instructors.
The partnership also commissioned HomeStart to deliver three projects to support mental health and wellbeing – weekly mental health drop-in sessions, at-home support for families, and a 10-week course to help women further their self-esteem and reduce depression. As mental health and wellbeing became a key priority for the partnership, they commissioned Mind (a mental health charity) to deliver three sessions a week at the Brookside Central Community Centre. Towards the end of the programme, 58 people had been supported by this service. A social prescriber from Mind was also available, providing advice and guidance, and running wellbeing walks to support the community with social isolation.
A resident established the Recharge project, offering targeted support to residents aged 12 to 21 to overcome issues with drugs and alcohol, and improve their emotional wellbeing. Big Local funding was used for Recharge to run a 12-week programme. This aimed to engage young people and help build their confidence and skills, with support from trained mentors who had shared experiences with mental health and other challenges. The programme culminated in a residential weekend (where people stay overnight to participate in activities) for those who took part. The Recharge project continued to operate from Brookside Central Community Centre beyond the Big Local programme, with funding from other organisations.
The partnership also supported A Better Tomorrow (an organisation supporting those recovering from drug and alcohol misuse) to extend their services to Brookside residents. Support was first provided through a grant to rent a property in Brookside as a safe residential space for those in recovery.
Later, the Brookside Big Local partnership helped set up a Community Interest Company to buy a five-bedroom property. The property was then offered to A Better Tomorrow on a 10 year lease, to help residents in recovery to live independently. The partnership supported those residents to be more involved with their community, providing opportunities to volunteer at other projects. At the close of Big Local, plans were in place for A Better Tomorrow to continue using the property, with discussions ongoing about it being transferred to the Brookside Community Interest Organisation.
The partnership saw children and young people as potential role models for the future. They wanted to provide positive activities and support to help young Brookside residents develop their confidence and life skills, so commissioned organisations to deliver a programme of free activities during school holidays. These included sports, games, cooking, and craft activities. The partnership reflected that these were well attended, with around 80 young people at each session in the Easter holidays of 2018.
Volunteers from the Brookside Events Group were supported to run Cre-Active – a weekly club focused on arts, crafts, and music. Seventy young people were involved, providing artwork for the Telford Carnival of Giants parade, showcasing their creativity and celebrating Brookside.
The Brookside Big Local partnership also worked with local authorities to develop Summer Together, which provided activities, breakfast, and lunch for families over two weeks during summertime. The project later extended to other school holidays and some participating parents and carers went on to attend Brookside Big Local meetings. Following this resident involvement, the partnership recognised the value of food in bringing people together and established a cooking club. The well-attended club was developed to provide food in a non-stigmatising way and help residents improve their cooking skills. Volunteer chefs taught participants about cooking on a budget, and families who attended all the sessions were given a food hamper. These cooking sessions continued at the Brookside Central Community Centre after the Big Local programme had closed.
A priority in community consultations was fly tipping in Brookside. In response, the Brookside Big Local partnership held discussions with the local authority, police, and a community safety group to tackle the issue and encourage residents to feel pride in the area.
The partnership commissioned an organisation to conduct a feasibility study on various strategies. The study included stakeholder workshops, resident consultation, and a report suggesting 10 potential projects. Some of these projects were taken forward. For example, as part of a competition, pupils at three primary schools designed posters about fly-tipping which were displayed around school gates. The winning design was digitised and displayed around the Brookside estate.
The partnership also organised regular litter picks which were advertised on social media, so residents could vote for areas to target. This community engagement attracted volunteers from local shops, schools, and the police force. Telford and Wrekin Council reported that more residents from Brookside joined their Street Champions scheme than those from other local estates, suggesting that Brookside residents were taking pride in their area.
Another proposed project was to develop an affordable, accessible service with a local provider to remove bulky items; and Telford and Wrekin Council went on to provide this service. The partnership reflected that their growing voice and influence through this work had facilitated improved community engagement between residents and other stakeholders in Brookside.
To encourage improvements to and resident pride in local gardens and green space, the partnership worked with local authorities and the Brookside Improvement Group to launch a tool hire club. A group funded by the parish council provided the equipment, and members paid a small fee to access electrical items and tools to use in their gardens. A ‘best garden’ competition was launched with a £100 voucher for the winner, and members of the tool club went on to volunteer at the community garden at a local school.
The Big Local partnership supported the Brookside Events Group to organise activities for young people and families, including a summer extravaganza in 2014, quiz nights, and seasonal events. The partnership and Brookside Events Group worked together to organise a free annual Big Bang fireworks event. The event was stewarded by a group of volunteers and brought together businesses offering discounts to attendees. The partnership considered the 2016 Big Bang event to be a success, as it was attended by 400 residents and was organised safely, with no reports of secondary fires or anti-social behaviour, showing the local authority that residents can lead such events.
The partnership worked with Telford and Wrekin Council to facilitate a free welcome group for those residents who were new to the area and waiting to attend oversubscribed English courses. These groups – held at the Brookside Central Community Centre – provided a space for attendees to practice their English conversation skills and meet others. Volunteers supported residents to complete enrolment forms and signposted attendees to other services and information. Between 10 and 15 people attended each week, including families with young children, and new friendships were nurtured.
The Brookside Big Local partnership also created welcome packs with important contact information, rubbish collection dates, and details of local groups, which were delivered to homes across Brookside. The packs created an opportunity for residents to be involved in spreading positive messages about Brookside.
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 Brookside Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
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 5 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/opulationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/ populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 5 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Private rented housing: Private landlord or letting agency’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 5 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 5 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘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 5 December 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023d) ‘UK Census 2021: Highest level of qualification: No qualifications’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS067/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 5 December 2025)
