Conniburrow
Key points
- Young people were supported through tailored activities, youth clubs, and creative educational initiatives.
- The Community Orchard project transformed an overgrown outdoor area into a thriving space for nature, learning, and community connection.
- The new Conniburrow Community Hub transformed a disused annex of the community centre, ensuring long-term support, services and activities.
About the Big Local area
Big Local Conniburrow was based in a small neighbourhood in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It was walkable from one end to the other in 10–15 minutes. A residential area dating back to 1975, Conniburrow had a population of 3,630 in 2021 (ONS, 2022a).
Conniburrow had a high population density, of 5,607 residents per square kilometre (ONS, 2022b). Conniburrow was more ethnically diverse than the wider Milton Keynes area, with a third of residents identifying as White British, and a quarter identifying as Black (ONS, 2023a; 2023b). The partnership felt the population was transient and changing, with 14 per cent of residents having lived in the UK for less than five years (ONS, 2022c; 2022d).
A lack of local facilities and amenities meant residents often had to leave the area. Despite its relative proximity to Milton Keynes, the H5 grid road isolated Conniburrow from the city centre. The area experienced high levels of food vulnerability compared to the rest of Milton Keynes (British Red Cross, 2020), and almost twice as many (32 per cent) residents did not own a car (ONS, 2023c). However, Conniburrow did have two primary schools and a children’s centre, which were central to community activity.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
Known locally as Big Local Conniburrow, the partnership prioritised fostering local pride, building social cohesion and wellbeing, and improving physical infrastructure, including a cleaner environment. The partnership pursued these goals through developing community spaces and gardens; providing events, activities and skill-building opportunities for young people and the community; and regenerating open spaces. They worked strategically through task groups to manage specific projects effectively. These ranged from managing communications to delivering both flagship and everyday initiatives.
Despite engagement efforts, the partnership struggled to represent the diversity of the area, and membership was largely White British. However, varied consultation and outreach initiatives were key in the partnership’s approach to developing priorities. The partnership delivered against these priorities by commissioning services, distributing small grants through their Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO), teaming up with local organisations, funding paid roles, and working with volunteers. The partnership worked to maintain engagement across their community through a wide range of activities, including gardening and book clubs, arts and crafts sessions, coffee mornings, and a children’s cinema club.
Between 2019 and 2022, interpersonal challenges caused continuous problems, significantly impacting delivery. With ongoing conflicts and governance issues, the partnership was no longer able to comply with Local Trust’s criteria and guidance for Big Local (including struggling to recruit and maintain enough residents), leading to its dissolution in 2023.
By this time, Big Local Conniburrow had spent just over £916,000. Based on their previous project work with Big Local, Great Linford Parish Council (GLPC) were identified by Local Trust as suitably capable and embedded in the community to oversee the remaining funding of just under £283,000. GLPC incorporated the partnership’s priorities into their existing community engagement work (where there was significant overlap) and secured additional council funding to continue their environmental initiatives, including orchard maintenance and regular litter picks. From this point on, Big Local funding was used to ensure that key themes (local pride, community cohesion, and physical infrastructure) and projects from the Big Local plan continued to be supported. This included funding to continue the existing community fridge and support the development of the Conniburrow Community Centre annex.
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.
Each partnership was expected to reflect the specific needs and characteristics of its own area and was therefore unique. However, every partnership was expected to meet the following criteria:
- it must have at least eight members
- the majority (at least 51%) of members should live within the Big Local area’s boundaries
- members should broadly reflect the range and diversity of people who live in the area – for example, in relation to age, ethnicity, gender, faith, disability or income levels.
Partnership members were asked to participate ‘in their own right’, meaning they could not represent the views of any other person or organisation.
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.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Revitalising disused outdoor spaces
Big Local Conniburrow saw disused and overgrown local open spaces as potentially valuable community resources and embarked on initiatives to regenerate them. They renovated the area around a local pond and organised 15 planting and greening activities, often in partnership with the parish council and conservation volunteers. These efforts helped build connections among residents while visibly improving the neighbourhood.
A standout achievement for the partnership was creating a community orchard in an unused and overgrown space around the middle of the programme. Starting in 2017, their Environment task group together with volunteers transformed the plot into a vibrant outdoor space in the heart of the neighbourhood. This led to a dedicated group of residents forming a ‘friends of’ group responsible for long-term stewardship.
Involving the community was central to the orchard’s success. Local primary school pupils provided ideas for its design and suggestions for educational programmes and clean-up events, in which they also participated. The orchard offered access to fresh fruit and vegetables and opportunities for learning and connection. Events such as gardening, seed planting, litter picks, and open days brought up to 40 attendees per session. The orchard also became a hub for community events, such as the 2018 ‘Apple Day’ where residents celebrated the space and showcased the harvest, and a celebratory Big Lunch in 2020 to honour and reward volunteers. Towards the end of the programme, Great Linford Parish Council had taken on maintenance of the orchard, using Big Local funds and council funding.
Creating a central hub for community togetherness
Feeling that a community hub would be a valuable local asset, Big Local Conniburrow dedicated a task group to finding and working towards opening such a space. They opened the Bramble Avenue Hub in 2018, in a space leased through their Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) – Milton Keynes Community Foundation (MKCF). After overcoming delays negotiating the lease and opening the Hub, it quickly became popular with residents, hosting a range of activities and resources, highlighting the need for dedicated community space.
Towards the end of Big Local, in 2022, Great Linford Parish Council (GLPC) took over ownership of Conniburrow Community Centre. At this time, the partnership wanted to move the hub to a permanent home and planned to allocate funding to refurbish the centre’s annex, to create a smaller, accessible space with an adjacent field, to complement the larger community centre. Following the partnership’s dissolution, GLPC continued the hub project.
The Conniburrow Community Hub’s opening celebration in August 2024 included fun family activities supported by partners (like the YMCA) and was attended by hundreds of residents and local dignitaries. The refurbished space was a one-stop-shop for community activities and resources, featuring a café, smaller meeting rooms, and a warm, inviting environment for activities. Big Local funding also supported improvements to the multi-use games area (MUGA) attached to the centre.
By January 2025, the hub was operating six days a week, hosting a packed and comprehensive programme of activities and services with support from GLPC, volunteers, and commissioned services. The café, central to the hub’s social space, was open four days per week. The hub also became the new home for Big Local Conniburrow’s community fridge, enabling its long-term continuation. Within a few months of opening, footfall at the hub reached 400–500 residents weekly with approximately 95 hours of activities taking place across the Centre and Hub each week.
Place-based pride and connection
Fostering cohesion through creative initiatives
Big Local Conniburrow worked to foster cohesion and engagement in the community through a wide range of creative approaches. These ranged from large-scale community celebrations to focused initiatives. For example, to support older residents’ health and wellbeing, the partnership introduced seated yoga sessions, helping provide physical and social benefits.
Big Local Conniburrow contracted a Resident Community Artist for a year. The artist forged links with schools and community groups, integrating creative activities into the community at all ages. The artist led in developing the community orchard into a space for recreation, education, and nature trails, involving local schoolchildren. Their work and its impact in the community was showcased in the community hub in the summer of 2018.
As the programme went on, the partnership shifted from hosting many smaller initiatives per year (such as trips away, meetings, and events) to organising fewer, higher-impact community events. These were often well-attended, and included Easter fairs, summer sports days, an annual September fun day, and Christmas events. As they grew in popularity, these events attracted more diverse participation from across the community and provided important opportunities for residents to gather and discuss their area.
Investing in young people
Building a diverse youth programme
Responding to community feedback about a need for youth activities, Big Local funding was allocated to local groups, and the partnership supported volunteer-led initiatives and commissioned expert advice to create a diverse youth programme.
Early on, Big Local Conniburrow partnered with MK DonsSET to create weekly ‘sports for all’ sessions, reaching around 20 children (up to age 12) each week. Other highlights included forest school sessions (commissioned through Community Action Milton Keynes) and free school holiday treasure hunts (organised by partnership members). These events encouraged young people and their families to explore new areas in safe and organised settings.
The partnership created a programme of activities for the newly opened Bramble Avenue Hub. The programme was supported and sometimes run by their Community Champions, and made the Hub a focal point for young people. Schoolchildren benefitted from a Homework Club run by one of the Champions, which offered academic support.
Further Big Local funding was allocated to determine an effective way to continue building on this strong foundation. MK DonsSET was commissioned as a long-term delivery partner, initially assessing local youth provision. They recommended fixed weekly sessions at a community venue, so from August 2024 regular youth clubs were held at the Conniburrow Community Hub, with shared meals and activities. Towards the end of Big Local, two weekly clubs were attracting around 40 young people (aged 11 to 18) to engage in indoor and outdoor activities, including video games, arts and crafts, and volleyball.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Tackling food waste and supporting the community
Big Local Conniburrow established a community fridge in 2019 to support residents in need, foster social connection, and reduce food waste. First proposed by a younger partnership member, the idea quickly gained support from volunteers. The fridge was initially run by six dedicated residents from the Bramble Avenue Hub, before moving to a permanent home at the Conniburrow Community Hub and growing a team of 25 volunteers trained in food safety and hygiene. Demand grew quickly and towards the end of Big Local, the community fridge was open two days a week, with up to 100 visitors each day.
The fridge sourced surplus food through partnerships with local supermarkets. It played a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, supporting residents facing financial hardship. In 2021, 70 per cent of surveyed visitors saved around £15-£20 per week by using the fridge. It became an important social space, helping residents connect without financial pressure. Many also reported that it helped them try new foods, and that they had been cooking more and eating more healthily as a result.
Community engagement
Training community engagement champions
As part of their wider work to engage and upskill residents, Big Local Conniburrow also developed a Community Champions programme in partnership with Community Action: MK (CA:MK). This seven-month training and mentoring initiative aimed to equip residents with practical skills and experience in community engagement, offering a pathway to greater involvement in local projects. By 2018, two champions had completed the training and been offered further opportunities by CA:MK.
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 Conniburrow Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
British Red Cross (2020) ‘Food Vulnerability Index Score’. (Accessed 27 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 27 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Population density’. (Accessed 21 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022c) ‘UK Census 2021: Resident in UK: 2 years or more but less than 5 years.’ (Accessed 27 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022d) ‘UK Census 2021 Resident in UK: Less than 2 years’. (Accessed 27 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. (Accessed 27 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African’. (Accessed 27 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: No cars or vans in household’. (Accessed 21 January 2025)