The Gaunless Gateway Big Local area contained around 11,500 residents across six neighbourhoods (ONS, 2022) in the heart of the north-eastern ‘Red Wall’. These six areas – Cockton Hill, Henknowle, St Helen Auckland, West Auckland, Woodhouse Close, and Tindale Crescent – were southwest of Bishop Auckland, a market town with a deep coal-mining heritage. The southern boundary of the Durham Coalfield once ran just below Bishop Auckland, and as mining jobs diminished, the area faced economic challenges that continued to impact its communities and influence need for local investment and development (Durham Record Office Archives).
The six neighbourhoods were connected by the Gaunless River. The area experienced low levels of access to key services, digital infrastructure, and job opportunities (OCSI, 2019). Residents reported that limited public transport made it difficult for people to travel between neighbourhoods and across Bishop Auckland, with 33 per cent of households not owning a car – a figure nearly 10 per cent higher than the average for County Durham (ONS, 2023). Locally owned assets and sports facilities were also less available compared to regional and national standards (OSCI, 2019; Sport England, 2024).
Gaunless Gateway took a community-development, participatory approach to deliver Big Local, with members seeing and referring to themselves as ‘decision makers’. To strengthen community voice and ensure resident-led outcomes, in 2017 the partnership restructured membership to include representatives from each of the six neighbourhoods. Members met monthly at venues around the area, with partnership priorities shaped by ongoing consultations at community forums, events, and even informal interactions at bus stops and supermarkets. This approach helped maintain close connections with the community, fostering trust and inclusivity.
Many partnership members were volunteers outside of Big Local. In 2017, the partnership also decided to bring in practical support to increase capacity and enable them to manage their volunteers across the six neighbourhoods. They employed two workers – one to focus on community development, and another to connect volunteers with local organisations. Members viewed this decision as a turning point in their journey, as the workers strengthened their connections and visibility with local groups and volunteers. The partnership also allocated funds for training courses to help these workers to develop, in turn supporting them to eventually take on and lead their own projects outside Big Local.
Over time, the partnership streamlined their initial seven priorities to four: community growth and development; people, places, and spaces; young people and families; and improving community safety. Throughout the programme, they consistently addressed these priorities through health and wellbeing projects and community development. They achieved this by nurturing new and established organisations through initiatives such as small grants – match-funded by County Durham Community Foundation between 2018–2021, and funding apprenticeship schemes, bursaries, and a youth forum.
Small grants especially were considered by the partnership to be a way to meet specific needs in the community. To make their grants accessible, they made their application process intentionally simple and flexible, and met online at least once a month to ensure quick approval turnaround. Through their grant work, members felt they gained valuable insights into local needs, as well as an in-depth understanding of organisations and emerging groups within the community.
Their approach went beyond just providing financial support; the partnership took bold steps, offering residents ongoing guidance, and encouraging collaboration among local groups. This included offering social media training sessions and connecting similar-minded groups for joint efforts, such as community litter picking.
Towards the end of the programme, feeling they had developed sufficient long-term skills, partnership members were exploring options for continuing as a funder, aiming to complement rather than compete with existing services. They remained committed to a deliberate, needs-first approach, favouring careful planning over rushing into a particular organisational structure.
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.
Gaunless Gateway Big Local’s community development approach involved significant investment in local organisations. Two key partnerships – Bridge Creatives CIC and Trades4Care – highlighted this approach, with Gaunless Gateway providing not only significant financial support but also continuous mentorship and resources to help these groups flourish.
Gaunless Gateway Big Local awarded £72,000 in match funding to Bridge Creatives CIC in 2019, a social enterprise supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism. The partnership had first connected with Bridge Creatives the previous year, when the organisation was in its early stages with no paid staff. Although their initial grant was returned due to readiness challenges, the partnership maintained close communication, providing health and safety guidance and helping secure additional funding through a promissory note.
The partnership also helped Bridge Creatives CIC secure a disused community centre in the centre of Henknowle, transforming it into a vibrant new space for residents called the Centre for Social Enterprise. By the end of Big Local, their decision to continue supporting the project had paid off, with the new centre employing 55+ staff and, having provided support to over 300 individuals, becoming a vital community asset.
Similarly, the partnership supported Trades4Care, an organisation focused on training young people (particularly those from low-income households) in technical and life skills. Between 2021 and 2023, Gaunless Gateway Big Local invested £81,000 in match funding, and initially covered three months’ worth of wages while Trades4Care completed registration for charity status. Within the first year of this support, the organisation had helped approximately 30 individuals find employment, with one apprentice advancing to a directorial role.
Concerned by youth unemployment levels that exceeded regional and national averages (DWP, 2024), the partnership wanted to reduce barriers to employment and collaborated with a local college to establish an apprenticeship scheme. However, the college struggled to find the capacity to deliver the scheme, and the funds were returned. Undeterred, Gaunless Gateway Big Local adjusted its approach and reallocated funds to launch two initiatives supporting apprenticeships and employment.
First, the partnership ran the apprenticeship scheme independently, with support from their engagement worker, and by bringing in local organisations Trades4Care and Bridge Creatives for delivery.
Second, a bursary scheme was introduced to address barriers residents faced in accessing training. Open to all ages, the scheme covered costs for local and out-of-area training, travel, and course fees to improve access to employment opportunities. The bursary scheme benefited both recipients and the participating organisations. For example, it funded driving lessons for several residents; one passed their test and used their new licence to advance into a role with Trades4Care.
The scheme also helped Trades4Care recruit and retain students, with one former apprentice rising to a senior role and two apprentices employed by the end of Big Local. Together, the schemes empowered residents to build skills and enhance employment. This approach not only expanded job access, but also fostered collaboration among local groups, building a strong network that could continue to benefit the area beyond Big Local.
Gaunless Gateway Big Local maintained a consistent focus on community health and wellbeing throughout their work. This was especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic, which presented a heightened risk to mental health.
In May 2020, they allocated funding to Man Health – a local charity supporting men with mental health challenges. This enabled Man Health to set up an online chat service, ensuring men could access vital support despite lockdown restrictions. The service helped men manage isolation, receive guidance, and rebuild confidence. After lockdown, the charity continued to offer support through weekly in-person groups and activities. Bishop Auckland was their largest group with a weekly attendance of 16 residents.
Similarly, Gaunless Gateway Big Local supported Daisy Arts – a locally focused collective of self-employed artists – through small grants. Partnership members felt that the strengthened organisation, set up to facilitate creative sessions for all ages, improved health and wellbeing in the community. One notable project, the Pollution Evolution, saw young people create artworks based on waste materials, and media to showcase it. The project encouraged young people to think creatively about recycling, while raising awareness of global environmental issues.
Through Big Local support, both Daisy Arts and Man Health went on to become widely valued community resources, with each expanding their activities to meet growing demand and enrich local wellbeing.
Early in the programme, the Big Local area faced the loss of several key community spaces, including libraries and youth clubs. When funding cuts in 2013 forced the closure of a popular youth club with over 100 regular attendees, Gaunless Gateway Big Local sought alternative venues. By 2018, they had partnered with Auckland Youth and Community Centre (AYCC), which became their primary partner for youth initiatives and a range of projects. However, partnership members soon recognised the limitations of a single youth space in such a large area, especially given limited public transport.
To broaden their reach, Gaunless Gateway Big Local funded detached youth work and organised extra-curricular activities at local schools – including several Christmas events, and participation in the John Muir Award scheme – which connected young people to the natural environment through outdoor learning activities.
The partnership also made creative efforts to expand their youth work across the area, most notably in 2017 by transforming a disused double-decker bus into The Big Purple Playbus – a mobile soft-play area designed to reach children across neighbourhoods.
Although successful in its first year, the partnership handed management of the bus over to AYCC the following year – a decision that highlighted to members the value of collaboration around larger projects. AYCC went on to operate the bus as a social enterprise, generating income and engaging over 2,500 children between 2018–2019. The bus was sold in 2020, with proceeds reinvested into Gaunless Gateway Big Local’s community initiatives.
Fostering strong connections between residents and local organisations through voluntary opportunities was a key strategy for the partnership. This was coordinated by Gaunless Gateway Big Local’s volunteer worker. Acting as a broker, the worker connected individuals with suitable roles and provided ongoing practical support to both volunteers and groups, from facilitating introductions to offering administrative guidance.
In 2021, Gaunless Gateway Big Local’s work was recognised with the County Durham Volunteering Kitemark, which celebrated organisations that overcome barriers to volunteering. By 2024, the volunteer broker had successfully linked over 90 residents to opportunities, offering valuable resources to local groups and enabling residents to gain new skills and feel valued.
The brokerage scheme’s success led to the partnership exploring ways to continue its impact into the future. Recognising an ongoing need in the area to foster community connections, their intention at the end of the programme was to extend this work beyond the Big Local boundary, bringing new skills and engagement opportunities to the area. Even the broker’s journey itself – of volunteer to paid worker to managing volunteers at another local organisation – became a success story, exemplifying part of the partnership’s legacy around worker development.
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.
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 Gaunless Gateway Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Durham Record Office Archives (undated) ‘Archives: Coal mining and Durham collieries’. (Accessed: 20 November 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: No cars or vans in household’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) (2019) ‘Left behind neighbourhoods’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Sport England (2024) ‘Active Places Power: All facilities’’. (Accessed: 8 January 2025)
