Divided by the River Lea and an east-to-west A‑road, the Hackney Wick Big Local area spanned eight housing estates in east London. The area had seen significant change with the development of the 2012 Olympic Park and new housing, leisure facilities, and transport links. The partnership felt this regeneration raised the profile of the area and attracted new affluent residents, contributing to a sense of disconnection between residents in the area. At the time of Big Local, assets and services included community spaces, schools, doctors’ surgeries, and green spaces.
With a population of 12,714 in 2021 (ONS, 2022a), the area was ethnically diverse (ONS, 2023a; 2023b) and had a high population of those aged between 11 and 30 (ONS, 2022b). The area was in the top 20 per cent most deprived in England (MHCLG, 2019a), with higher levels of poor physical and mental health as compared to the wider local authority area (MHCLG, 2019b).
Early on, the partnership branded themselves Wick Award Big Local. They had three consistent priorities over the course of the programme: Young people (creating opportunities and strengthening youth influence); Health and wellbeing (reducing isolation and maintaining activity amongst older people); and Community (celebrating local diversity and building community spirit and cohesion).
Partnership members had a breadth of skills, networks, and community knowledge, including experience of the public sector, local government, and community development. Membership was consistent, helping them build trusting relationships and confidence in decision making. To share decision-making responsibilities, they set up subgroups, which they felt were effective for delegating and making the most of people’s abilities.
The partnership struggled to reflect the age and ethnic diversity of the area, and, towards the end of Big Local, were supported with engaging underrepresented groups to create an inclusive legacy organisation.
Wick Award Big Local focused on building on the community’s assets through collaboration and resident-action. Residents were trained and supported to carry out community research, exploring local issues and priorities. This provided an evidence base for the partnership’s work and an opportunity for residents to influence local change. Individuals and groups were allocated grants to deliver activity meeting the partnership’s priorities – providing support through guidance, connections, and skills building.
The partnership needed someone to coordinate activities and help build community capacity, so employed a worker early on. The community development worker was central to delivery – supporting individuals and groups, connecting and networking, and directly running activities.
Research conducted mid-way through the programme about Wick Award Big Local’s approach and impact highlighted the partnership’s value in connecting people, building local capacity, and supporting residents to influence local provision. As the Big Local programme wrapped up, the partnership set up a legal organisation to continue their work, using the findings to promote the value of the approach and attract further investment. Several partnership members became part of the board for the new CIO.
Towards the end of the programme, the remaining Big Local funding was allocated to community grants and activities and included funding for a new hardship advice worker with Hackney Quest, and additional staff to help with trustee recruitment for the new legacy organisation.
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.
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.
The partnership saw community spaces as crucial for increasing activity and connecting residents and groups. Early on, Big Local funding was used to develop HUB67 (a temporary community space) and employ a centre manager to bring activities into the new space. Within a few years, the Yard Theatre took over, delivering community projects until late in the Big Local programme.
Wick Award Big Local and the community development worker also supported residents to have greater influence over existing community spaces. For example, working with an estate residents’ association to make the case to the housing association that residents should manage their community hall. Residents took over the space towards the end of Big Local and ran a programme of free activities (like lunches, exercise classes, and homework club). Similarly, another community group was funded to host free weekly activities from another community hall (like craft clubs, youth activities, and exercise).
Mid-way through Big Local, community chest funding was used to pilot a meeting for residents to discuss community issues with local decision-makers. The Hackney Wick partnership felt initial meetings went well, and further Big Local funding was allocated. They collaborated with partners to facilitate regular Town Hall meetings, seeing them as an important opportunity for residents to talk about their concerns, and for partnership members to stay up-to-date on local issues. Meetings were held every few months in different community venues, so as not to be owned by any one organisation, and local decision-makers were invited to attend.
Although meetings could be resource intensive, the partnership wanted them to continue. Near the end of Big Local, the London Legacy Development Corporation awarded funding, and a young person was being recruited to facilitate future meetings.
In response to local concerns about loneliness among older residents, groups in Hackney Wick were funded and supported to deliver activities (like fitness classes, arts and crafts, and supper clubs). The partnership also worked with residents to shape policy and projects.
The community development worker supported older residents to carry out research and engage in wellbeing consultations, for example holding focus groups at community lunches to help inform the local council’s Ageing Better Strategy. The ‘Wise Wick’ research explored social isolation and loneliness among residents aged over 60, highlighting what made it harder or easier for older people to maintain quality social interactions.
Wick Award Big Local helped develop neighbourhood forums to centre community voice in their health and wellbeing work. The forums created new opportunities to regularly bring together residents, healthcare organisations, and voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations to explore local health issues, identify priorities, and develop new projects.
Firstly, the partnership worked with health and community stakeholders to run a pilot forum for Well Street Common. Following its success, additional forums were created for other neighbourhoods, including Hackney Marshes which, alongside Well Street Common, was facilitated by the community development worker.
The partnership reflected how the forums led to new collaborative projects and increased dialogue between healthcare services and the community. For example, co-designing training for non-clinical staff to support young people with anxiety, and connecting the local falls team with community spaces to deliver physiotherapy and workshops.
The partnership helped strengthen the capacity of community groups and local organisations so more Hackney Wick residents could access support. Big Local funding was distributed through community chest grants, and awarded to groups to improve community wellbeing, create opportunities for young people, and build community connections. The partnership further supported community groups to access space, source additional funding, and network.
For example, Hackney Wick Football Club received £1,000 community chest grant, networking support, and a further £10,000. Combining football with community engagement, mentoring, and employment opportunities, the club went on to establish youth and senior teams, engage 160 young people and 70 adults weekly, and attract additional funding.
Another grantee was Community Closet, which supported families with donated toys, clothes, and hygiene products. Big Local funding was among the first funding the project received, and the partnership gave advice and helped them reach residents through council connections. In early 2022, the Community Closet supported 186 children and 1,112 families.
The partnership felt their support was valuable, and some organisations noted how it had increased their confidence, knowledge, profile, and connections.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the community development worker coordinated a funding application for a group of community organisations to jointly deliver food to isolating residents in vulnerable circumstances. Drawing on volunteers from across their networks and the partnership’s established contacts, the South Hackney Consortium could support people that other organisations had been unable to reach.
The partnership felt that the pandemic was a key moment as it shifted relationships, with local groups being recognised by statutory agencies for their value. The pandemic also gave the partnership confidence that their work played an important role in building community capacity and relationships.
The partnership established a long-term relationship with youth organisation Hackney Quest to strengthen capacity of both organisations and create more varied youth provision. While Hackney Quest didn’t initially work in the Big Local area, the partnership felt they had a shared aim in wanting to engage differently with young people.
They worked together to map local youth provision, meeting regularly to develop and review projects. The partnership saw Hackney Quest as a key collaborator, and the organisation went on to lead local initiatives with other youth organisations.
Wanting young people to have more say and to change how they were perceived by other residents, the partnership commissioned Hackney Quest to set up the Hackney Wick Youth Forum. Co-led by a youth worker and apprentices, young people were supported to carry out interviews and surveys, and facilitate workshops, focus groups, and events with young residents.
Mid-way through Big Local, they published their findings in the “Hackney Wick Through Young Eyes” report, reflecting contributions from over 400 young people aged 8–20. This highlighted what young people valued, the impacts of local development, the challenges they faced, and recommendations (like improving facilities and giving young people a say in local changes). At the report launch, young researchers presented their findings and discussed key themes with heads of services, local organisations, senior councillors, and the local Mayor.
The partnership used the “Hackney Wick Through Young Eyes” research as evidence to develop new projects, bring in additional resources, and influence local policy and practice. For example, they helped to leverage in funding from the London Legacy Development Corporation and Greater London Authority for a new youth multi-use games area. Wick Award Big Local also contributed to the Hackney Council and Mayor of London strategies to reduce violence and create safe places and activities for young people.
The research also informed the work of the partnership, Hackney Quest, and the Hackney Wick Youth Forum, enabling young people to develop projects based on their own research. Over a six-year period, several projects were delivered with young people, focusing on redesigning public spaces, enhancing sports facilities, and raising educational aspirations and opportunities.
As Big Local wrapped up, young people were working on a project with community designers and architects to redesign a safer, more accessible cycle and pedestrian path (the Red Path), connecting Homerton and Hackney Wick. Led by young people, the project attracted funding from the council and the London Legacy Development Corporation.
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 Wick Award Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019a) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. (Accessed 20 March 2025)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019b) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019: Health deprivation and disability domain’. (Accessed 20 March 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 19 March 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Population aged 11–30’. (Accessed 20 March 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African’ (Accessed 20 December 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. (Accessed 21 March 2025)
