Situated on the outskirts of Maryport on the west Cumbrian coast, the Ewanrigg Big Local area covered a residential estate. Just over 1,200 people lived within the area boundary, most of whom identified as white British (ONS, 2022a; 2023). Residents lived in semi-detached and terraced housing managed largely by a local housing association. Facilities included green spaces, schools, a GP surgery, convenience shops and a community centre run by Ewanrigg and Netherton Tenants and Residents Association (ENTRA), which was both well-established and trusted within the community.
Though the estate sat within a beautiful wider landscape of coast, fells and market towns, long-term industrial decline contributed to the area being among the 10 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in the country (MHCLG, 2019a).
The estate had a relatively young population, with an above average proportion under the age of 19 (ONS, 2022b). A quarter of these young people lived in low-income families (DWP, 2024). The area had low levels of digital connectivity (GMCA, 2021) and above average rates of poor physical and mental health (MHCLG, 2019b). With minimal public transport, residents had to rely on local activities and services.
Work in the Ewanrigg Big Local area (known locally as Ewanrigg Local Trust or ELT) began in 2012 when the partnership consulted with residents and agencies to develop a detailed community profile.
This recognised the area’s community spirit and identified priorities for action, including promoting health and wellbeing, tackling low aspirations and high unemployment, and connecting people to one another and to services. The partnership had several members who contributed throughout the lifetime of Big Local and shared board members with Ewanrigg and Netherton Tenants and Residents Association (ENTRA). They used the ENTRA-run community centre as a base.
Early on, a development worker was employed using Big Local funding to coordinate and deliver the action plan and gain investment. The worker remained a key driving force throughout the programme, managing a small team of staff, who adapted to meet project needs and built volunteers’ capacity to develop their own projects.
Training and support for residents to develop and lead activities and projects themselves was at the heart of the Ewanrigg Big Local partnership’s approach. Initially the partnership commissioned organisations to deliver activities, but projects (like the annual lantern festival) were later delivered by volunteers who developed transferable skills and built their confidence while making a difference in their community.
To build engagement and capacity, from 2017 the partnership’s Community Piggy Bank provided grants of up to £1,500 to individuals and groups. Over seven years, £132,000 was awarded to 72 projects, including funding trauma kits for a lifeboat rescue service and shoes for job interviews.
In 2023, the Ewanrigg Big Local partnership and ENTRA established The Centre West Cumbria, an incorporated legacy organisation. They secured ownership of a community centre from the local housing association, leveraged donations and gained £50,000 of private-sector funding. In the words of a partnership member, this enabled the community centre to continue as “a hub of empowerment”, offering a packed programme of daily activities. The Maryport Matters magazine also carried on beyond Big Local, while the We Will youth mental health campaign left a legacy of enhanced awareness, skills and service provision.
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.
After research identified mental health as a cross-cutting issue underpinning poor health and creating barriers to work – and in response to regular demands for a community café – the Ewanrigg partnership opened the Hug a Mug café.
Run by trained volunteers, Hug a Mug was a friendly, safe space where people could drop in for tea and cake, have a chat and be signposted towards help with health, housing and finances. Links with agencies including the Department for Work and Pensions allowed the café to operate as an effective one-stop shop. Residents shared that they valued the warmth and instant access to the space without needing an appointment. Residents reported feeling less isolated, gaining confidence, and being able to take greater control over their lives, with some going on to support the project as volunteers.
Set up in partnership with Maryport Health Services, and based in their high-footfall building, Hug a Mug was well used by residents. In its first three years, the café helped more than 300 people, about a third of whom were referred by their GP. Relationships with more than 50 linked organisations enabled targeted signposting and connections with residents who had previously been disengaged from services. The partnership reflected that the success of Hug a Mug was due to the strong collaborations between the partnership and local health agencies who were able to generate awareness and advocate for their work.
The Covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted the momentum of the project, while the GP surgery could not maintain its support for Hug a Mug due to capacity challenges. The partnership was therefore unable to continue the project and the café closed. During its lifetime, the café was valued by residents and won Most Innovative Intervention at the 2020 National Mental Health and Wellbeing Awards. Key learning and approaches from Hug a Mug were adopted by the local NHS social prescribing service.
When it became clear that legacy plans for Hug a Mug were no longer viable, the partnership refocused their attention towards community infrastructure in Ewanrigg. The partnership reflected that the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis increased challenges faced by residents, and that they wanted the town of Maryport to benefit from future investment.
After working together since the beginning of the programme, in 2023 the Ewanrigg Big Local partnership and ENTRA merged to form a new charitable organisation named The Centre West Cumbria. The aim was to transform Ewanrigg Community Centre into a sustainable, community-owned asset.
The space was an important community asset, located in the heart of the largest housing estate in Maryport, with many activities (like Coffee and Crack – a weekly pay-what-you-can food event) held in the space. The Centre’s mission was to provide creative and social opportunities to grow a community that creates positive change, improving life chances for individuals and future generations.
The partnership recognised that taking ownership of The Centre presented clear elements of risk – mainly around raising enough funds to continue beyond Big Local – but they viewed this as a positive challenge.
By the end of Big Local, The Centre West Cumbria was self-sustaining, with funding secured for at least a further two years. Open six days a week, it ran a calendar of events and activities for all the community to enjoy, such as Citizens Advice, the annual lantern festival, Biccies and Banter, chess club, and Jiu Jitsu for juniors. The partnership was also pursuing a new health programme. By connecting with local health agencies, the pilot programme aimed to provide training to support the local population to advocate for themselves in health settings.
With a large proportion of residents under the age of 19, engaging young people was an important aim from the start of Big Local. The Ewanrigg partnership set up a youth committee and engaged young people who had participated in a community campaign to save local hospital beds. The partnership felt that they achieved strong engagement by responding to concerns and investing in their development.
In 2017, the partnership supported eight young people aged 13–17 with lived experience of poor mental health to create and deliver the We Will campaign. This group wanted to “start a youth mental health revolution” by enabling people to listen to young people without judgement. The campaign led change in schools, families, and communities, while creating a new generation of trained mental health first-aiders.
The We Will campaign group delivered their campaign over seven years. Key achievements included:
We Will attracted global media coverage and won numerous accolades, including a National Mental Health and Wellbeing Award in 2020.
By supporting the We Will campaign, the Ewanrigg Big Local partnership helped young people develop transferable skills while addressing issues that were important to them. Workers coached young people to build their capacity to deliver their roles while maintaining their own personal resilience. As well as gaining knowledge and skills in mental health first aid and presentations, the campaign film crew gained experience in professional filmmaking.
Coaching was a key component of the project, which culminated in two young people taking on the role of partnership co-chair in 2022. They remained active board members throughout Ewanrigg Big Local and continued as trustees in the legacy organisation, The Centre West Cumbria.
Early in the Big Local programme, the Ewanrigg partnership launched Maryport Matters, a full-colour quarterly magazine created by the community, for the community. The magazines were free and delivered to residents’ homes. They were also available to be picked up across selected community venues. With a circulation of 8,000, the magazine’s local news and features informed and connected residents, while celebrating community achievements.
Towards the end of the programme, the partnership also encouraged people to send in new features, like recipes, pictures, or reviews. The magazine was part of the Ewanrigg Big Local partnership’s legacy, and they felt it enhanced pride in the local community. It remained the only town-specific publication, and continued to attract advertising, sponsorship and funding after Big Local.
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 Ewanrigg 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 15 October 2024)
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) (2021) ‘Digital Exclusion Risk Index: DERI score’. Available at: gmtableau.nhs.uk/t/GMCA/views/DigitalExclusionRiskIndexv1_6/DERIhomepage (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019a) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 (Accessed 15 October 2024)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019b) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019: Health deprivation and disability domain’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 (Accessed 29 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 15 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘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 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Population aged under 19’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 15 October 2024)
