The Central Jarrow Big Local area covered part of Jarrow. Located to the east of Gateshead and south of the River Tyne, Jarrow was formerly a coal-mining and shipbuilding town. It was the starting point of the Jarrow march to Parliament, which protested against unemployment and poverty in 1936.
In 2021 approximately 4,000 people lived in terraced houses and flats, around a central shopping area (ONS, 2022a). The area had active community organisations and groups, several schools, religious buildings, a hospital, children’s centre and Jarrow Focus — a multipurpose community and leisure facility in the middle of the area. In 2021, one in three children lived in poverty (DWP, 2024), and the area had a higher percentage of unemployed adults compared to the North East (ONS, 2022b).
‘Our Past, Our Future, Our Jarrow’ was Central Jarrow Big Local partnership’s vision throughout the programme. Residents, councillors and representatives from local organisations formed the initial partnership, and young people joined in 2019.
The diversity of experience, local knowledge, skills and networks within the partnership helped them to deliver the priorities for the area. Their priorities included: supporting children and young people; improving the environment so Central Jarrow was a greener, welcoming and safe place; improving the economy by supporting local people to manage their debt and supporting small businesses; and giving residents information and advice to encourage a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing.
These priorities, identified through initial consultation and local statistics, remained consistent over the ten-year period. The partnership focused on some more than others over time, depending on community feedback and need.
The Central Jarrow Big Local partnership wanted to build capacity within the community, tap into the expertise and skills that existed locally, and to build a sense of resident ownership of projects. They wanted to create change that could be sustained after the Big Local programme. They did this through grant funding, commissioning and supporting residents, groups and organisations to deliver projects. They also helped people to build networks, and shared their own experience and knowledge.
The partnership was supported by a community development worker and coordinator who conducted outreach and engagement, supported the monitoring and evaluation of projects, and built and maintained relationships with stakeholders. Groundwork — their Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) — also supported the group, connected them with others and engaged their own network in Big Local volunteering opportunities.
Evaluation reports from projects, annual surveys of residents, and ongoing communication and engagement with the community supported partnership decision making. Partnership sub-groups developed projects and ideas at monthly meetings that were open to the community.
In the final years of the programme, the partnership created a report highlighting their achievements and impact over the years. Wanting to build on the relationships they had developed and to continue their work in the community, the partnership worked with stakeholders to develop a new hub. They set up a new legacy organisation, with several partnership members joining as directors. The organisation was named Big Local Jarrow CIC, as they were keen to hold onto the name recognition they had built steadily over the years.
In 2023, the CIC secured £260,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for their work. Within a few years, the Jarrow Big Local Hub (also known as the Jarra Hub) was working with, and across, the South Tyneside community, providing access to a range of activity and support, including creative activities, training, volunteering and ‘Jarra tea clinics’ which brought people together over tea blended and brewed in Jarrow.
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.
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.
Jarrow had a rich history in industrial development and community action, and celebrating the past and fostering community pride was a key part of the partnership’s vision.
Big Local funding supported artwork to improve areas of the town. For example, young people worked with YMCA North Tyneside, Community Arts Project North East, and the Jarrow and Hebburn History Group on a mural in a town centre underpass to mark the centenary of World War One and Zeppelin air raids.
Big Local funding supported the existing annual Jarrow Festival, which raised Jarrow’s profile, fostered community spirit and engaged local businesses and residents. The partnership supported improvements to the local environment, to encourage people to have pride in Jarrow. In response to community feedback, a landscaping and gardening project was set up with Groundwork early in the programme. It provided opportunities for residents to volunteer and connect, and improved the attractiveness of the physical environment.
Following the end of the Big Local funding, connecting residents with the area’s heritage continued to be a cornerstone of Big Local Jarrow CIC’s work. One of the community’s most important historical events was the 1936 ‘Jarrow Crusade’ to London (or Jarrow March), which protested local poverty and unemployment following the collapse of local industry. To mark the 90th anniversary of the march in 2026, the Jarrow Big Local Hub organised and collaborated on a range of events encouraging people to connect with each other, the local area and Jarrow’s heritage. Alongside monthly community walks and foraging, a reverse march — walking the 300 miles from London to Jarrow — was supported.
Improving communication about local services was a key priority. Central Jarrow Big Local partnership wanted to strengthen local networks and connect groups delivering activities in the local area to create a support system that would be there after Big Local.
The community development worker and coordinator engaged with the community, marketed local events and activities on social media, and produced an annual magazine. Central Jarrow Big Local partnership offices and meeting space were within the Jarrow Focus building, located in the centre of town. The building was used by other local groups and organisations which gave the workers an opportunity to connect and build new relationships.
The partnership included representatives from local organisations, who helped the partnership remain connected to local activity and build relationships across the community. Early in their plan, the partnership sought to bring organisations together to help improve access to health and wellbeing support. Age UK South Tyneside were commissioned to develop a ‘healthy living network’ with local partners to coordinate and signpost residents to health and wellbeing services. The partnership later took a step back from funding the network to avoid duplication as the council set up a similar forum, though remained connected to the new forum through their worker, who became part of the group.
Towards the end of the programme, the partnership continued to strengthen their connections and to work collaboratively. They worked with stakeholders to create the Jarra Hub in the Jarrow Focus building, and after the Big Local programme became one of 25 cross sector organisations and representatives on a decision-making board for a new, long term community programme in the area.
A lack of youth services, paired with concerns of anti-social behaviour, made engaging young people a priority. Central Jarrow Big Local partnership commissioned Groundwork to support 16–19 year olds not in education, employment or training to build skills and gain accreditation through landscape and gardening apprenticeships. They provided gardening volunteering opportunities that promoted wellbeing and physical activity.
YMCA North Tyneside were commissioned to deliver youth services, through the Young People’s Detached Youth Project. This funded three youth workers, a drop-in centre, outreach, support, clubs and residentials, and provided opportunities for training, skills-building and volunteering. Young people were referred by local agencies and the project encouraged an increase in confidence through engagement in social action. For example, they set up a seated exercise class for older residents, volunteered at community activities and events, and established a weekly clean-up of the Jarrow Cemetery. They received regional recognition and awards for their contributions.
The long-term investment of Big Local funding into youth services helped young people develop their confidence and skills, and take pride in where they live. By 2022, the partnership estimated that at least 75 per cent of local young people had been involved. Several of the young people involved in the YMCA project joined the partnership, providing a voice for young people and contributing to local decision making.
The Central Jarrow partnership was aware of the levels of employment, income and poverty within the community, and sought to tackle this in different ways. One of ways in which they did this was by building people’s capacity to run projects and businesses. As part of this, they supported and funded groups and organisations to deliver activity that met different community needs.
The partnership was supported by Local Trust to work with Unltd — a foundation for social entrepreneurs. This enabled residents to access funding, peer and networking support, and coaching to set up, develop and run businesses that would support local priorities. One resident set up a new organisation providing mental health support, such as coaching, wellbeing workshops and mentoring for residents who found it hard to access statutory services.
Through long term grant-giving and social enterprise support, the partnership expanded its networks and knowledge of the community. Existing groups were sustained, and new groups, organisations and enterprises were created. This support filled gaps and strengthened local delivery of services and support that met the needs of residents.
In the final years of the Big Local programme, the partnership explored more ambitious ways to tackle income poverty long-term and on a larger scale. Working with the Basic Income Conversation and Northumbria University, they hosted community conversations about Universal Basic Income (UBI), capturing residents’ thoughts about the approach and the potential for Central Jarrow to be involved in a micro pilot. Beyond the end of Big Local, they continued to support UBI and were involved in lobbying decision makers to support a North East pilot in Jarrow.
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 Central Jarrow Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024) ‘Children in low income families: local area statistics’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2023/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-financial-year-ending-2023 (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 8 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Economic activity status, England and Wales’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/economicactivitystatusenglandandwales/census2021#economic-activity-status (Accessed 15 October 2024)
