Goldthorpe with Bolton on Dearne
Key points
- Goldthorpe and Bolton on Dearne Big Local partnership invested in training and education opportunities, providing opportunities for residents of all ages to learn and share skills.
- Residents and partners across the villages were brought together and community spirit was strengthened through popular open events and visual improvements to the local environment.
- A popular community-run café became a space for all residents to socialise, learn skills, and access support.
About the Big Local area
Goldthorpe and Bolton on Dearne Big Local was located in South Yorkshire and comprised three villages: Goldthorpe in the north, Bolton upon Dearne in the south, and Highgate in the centre.
In 2021, the area had a population of 14,935, and in 2019 was in the top 20 per cent most deprived places in England (ONS, 2022a; MHCLG, 2019). An ex-mining community, there were more residents without any formal qualifications compared to the local authority average (ONS, 2023a), and fewer job opportunities were available locally (ONS, 2022b; 2023b). Additionally, there were more adults in receipt of financial support due to ill health or long-term disability (DWP, 2024).
The closure in 1994 of Goldthorpe’s last colliery significantly impacted the wider area, leading to business closures and the many local buildings falling into disuse (though some working men’s and miners’ welfare clubs remained).
During the Big Local programme, it was well-connected; Goldthorpe and Bolton upon Dearne train stations provided connections to Sheffield and Leeds, and local buses ran to Doncaster and Barnsley. Surrounded by green spaces, parks, and nature reserves, the villages also contained schools, sports clubs, community centres, a theatre, shops, and cafés, as well as numerous community groups and organisations. Housing at the time was predominantly a mix of terraces, semi-detached, and detached properties, with a mix of owner-occupied, privately rented, and social housing.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
Goldthorpe and Bolton on Dearne Big Local partnership’s vision focused on education and training opportunities, improving local facilities, accessible quality housing, and fostering community involvement through affordable local activities. These priorities emerged from their initial consultation in 2013, with some remaining throughout the programme, and others evolving or being replaced based on changing needs. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and rising living costs that followed, the partnership adapted their focus to include mental health support, youth engagement, and food and fuel poverty.
The partnership comprised volunteers, some of whom were also involved in other organisations that crossed over with the partnership’s work, as well as paid support workers. They aimed to leverage existing local resources, experience and skills by collaborating with local groups, agencies and businesses.
This approach reduced duplication of work and services, built strong local relationships, and saw the partnership co-fund and deliver projects and events with a range of partners (including nearby Thurnscoe Big Local partnership). Alongside this collaborative work, they supported community-led initiatives, local groups, and volunteer-driven activities through grant-funding and dedicated support.
In response to challenges around communication and engagement with the community, the partnership increasingly focused on openness and transparency about their plans and decisions. Following significant changes in their membership and priorities during the pandemic, they worked to secure lasting impact in the area by signposting residents to existing support, and supporting projects they felt could make a sustained difference . This notably included the Snap Tin Café, which they had helped create and supported to develop into a community hub – eventually rebranded as the Snap Tin Community Hub.
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.
What the Big Local area did
Working collaboratively
Working with the community to improve the physical environment
From the start, the partnership focused on working alongside grassroots organisations and community stakeholders to improve the local environment. These collaborative efforts – driven by shared goals around creating a more attractive and safer place to live – both physically transformed the area and laid foundations for sustaining these changes.
One such project was revitalising the Phoenix Underpass through the creation of a mural. A local artist was commissioned to develop the mural with local young people, and sixty locals worked together to paint the mural, transforming the underpass into a symbol of community unity and civic pride.
The Goldthorpe Railway Embankment project was undertaken in 2017, when a diverse range of stakeholders (including the council’s Dearne Area Team, Dearne Valley Landscaping partnership, local businesses, community groups, and volunteers) collaborated to reclaim a disused railway track plagued by fly-tipping. Over two years, the space was transformed into a vibrant community wildlife space for activities and educational workshops, with the partnership eventually funding a caretaker for its long-term maintenance.
Investing in young people
Funding local sport clubs and a key education facility
Wanting their Big Local funding to benefit young people in the area (especially following the Covid-19 pandemic), the partnership worked with local clubs and organisations to engage them directly, including several football clubs and a local academy.
District Junior Football Club (DDJFC) received grant-funding from Big Local to host a lively football tournament and fun day early in the programme, attracting participation from 23 clubs and generating revenue for future similar events. Subsequently, the partnership invested in a dugout at the local Dearne and District Football Club, helping the club move forward in the league and bringing local families together to watch games.
The partnership also forged ties with the local Astrea Academy, which became increasingly important to the partnership during the programme. Big Local funding facilitated the establishment of the Astrea Academy Nutrition Club, which offered secondary school-age students who needed additional support with an extra-curricular space in which to develop knowledge and skills, including cooking and nutrition.
Place-based pride and connection
Bringing residents together through community events
As part of their focus on bringing the community together, the partnership funded and supported a range of accessible events and activities in the area.
The Dearne Community Arts Festival, for which Big Local was an early funder, offered residents a platform to showcase their talents while providing opportunities for artistic learning and expression through workshops. Delivered through the efforts of local volunteers, and supported by the partnership’s paid worker, the festival evolved into a popular community event, attracting hundreds of attendees annually and serving as a crucial site for the partnership in terms of community engagement and consultation. At the end of the Big Local programme, the Dearne Community Arts Festival had become self-sustaining.
The partnership also took an event-focused approach to addressing the social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and challenges around the rising cost of living. Projects included a competition for the best-decorated festive window display, and a free annual Christmas Fair. This family-friendly event, organised by the partnership and launched in 2022 at Dearne Astrea Academy, featured a range of activities, food, and festive attractions including a resplendent Santa’s grotto. The inaugural fair was attended by over 500 residents.
Local economy
Investing in an innovative local housing project
In line with their goals around affordable housing and skills-building, the partnership invested in an innovative local housing project. It involved acquiring and renovating vacant houses, with apprentices aged between 16 and 24 carrying out the building work, and then renting the properties to the community at affordable rates. Through collaboration with various stakeholders, including local businesses and organisations, the project breathed life back into deteriorating housing stock, revitalising the local environment, and bolstered the local economy by sourcing building materials from nearby suppliers.
The project was praised for its ingenuity, receiving backing from businesses, organisations, and the local council. Yet it was also a source of learning for the partnership, in particular in relation to the importance of communication and relationships with the wider community.
Over the span of the partnership’s involvement from 2015–2018, over 150 apprentices were trained, accredited, and employed, and six houses were refurbished. After the end of Big Local funding, the work continued through a separate legal entity.
Community assets and spaces
Creating a long-term space for the community
Goldthorpe & Bolton on Dearne Big Local partnership funded and supported the establishment of Snap Tin Café – a community space that proved to be both transformative for the area and a key part of the partnership’s legacy. The café developed out of a collaborative effort early in the programme, between the partnership and two residents who envisioned a community café and training kitchen in Goldthorpe. At the time, the project’s main focuses – offering affordable food and providing training opportunities for residents with learning difficulties – aligned with the partnership’s own priorities around training and skills development. Big Local support helped get the café up and running and supported it through its first year. The partnership and café team agreed that the space would serve the general public and serve as a place for the Big Local worker to hold regular drop-in sessions.
The café provided a vital space both for delivering projects and engaging and connecting the community. The partnership went on to fund a wider offering of capacity-building initiatives in the space, including a job club and catering-industry training programs for people living with learning or mobility challenges.
Snap Tin Café became a hub for residents, offering a reliable social and support space, as well as hosting groups such as a coffee morning and walking group, intended to help alleviate social isolation and support people living with dementia. The café’s associated community interest company, Snap Tin CIC, also developed relationships with external organisations, securing funding for educational workshops and providing valuable work experience placements for residents.
For this Big Local, the café and CIC became the heart of their legacy in the area. Towards the end of the programme, the partnership even rebranded as the Snap Tin Community Hub, with members considering Snap Tin CIC to be the organisation that would continue to deliver for the benefit of the community in the long run.
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 Goldthorpe and Bolton on Dearne Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Department for Work and Pension (DWP) (2024) ‘Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Official statistics’. (Accessed 15 October 2024)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Population aged 16 to 64’. (Accessed 15 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Highest level of qualification: No qualifications’. (Accessed 15 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES): Total employees’. (Accessed 15 October)