Hanwell, Copley Close
Key points
- Green spaces were improved across four estates, by investing in community gardens and reclaiming local woodland for residents’ use.
- With children and young people at the heart of their work, the partnership supported activities and groups for all ages, including workshops to build self-esteem.
- Coordination of mutual aid and outreach during the Covid-19 lockdowns, led to a growth in confidence among partnership members and a change in priorities.
About the Big Local area
The original Hanwell Big Local area included three estates in Ealing, north London: Copley Close, Gurnell Grove, and Cuckoo. It expanded in 2015, at the request of the partnership, to include the neighbouring High Lane estate. By 2021, the Big Local area had a population of almost 12,300, with 41 per cent of residents living in social rented housing (ONS, 2022; 2023). The area had higher rates of unemployment than London as a whole, at 9 per cent compared to nearly 6 per cent (DWP, 2024a; 2024b).
Hanwell High Street lay just outside of the Big Local area. Copley Close and Gurnell Grove each had one shop serving them, and there were few services nearby. Hanwell Community Centre on the Cuckoo estate (formerly a large workhouse) was owned by Ealing Council. During Big Local, a Crossrail infrastructure project was completed, and Hanwell became a stop on the new Elizabeth Line, connecting it to Heathrow, Paddington, Liverpool Street, and Canary Wharf stations. The partnership saw the community as transient, with changing populations and regeneration (like that of Copley Close estate as part of a redevelopment project for council-owned housing) changing local needs (Ealing Council, 2012).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The Hanwell Big Local partnership had an average of eight members, the majority residents with some representatives from local groups. The partnership worked closely with schools, churches, and residents’ associations, and helped establish the Gurnell Grove residents’ association in 2016. The Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) was Empowering Action and Social Esteem (EASE), a voluntary organisation set up in 2001 by a resident (the partnership’s first chair, before handing over the reins in 2017). Based in Hanwell Community Centre, EASE led much of the local provision for children and young people. The partnership had support from a paid project manager, administration worker, fundraiser, and the CEO of EASE.
The partnership worked hard in its early years to secure community ownership of Hanwell Community Centre. This fell through when the local council changed its plans, but the centre remained a hub for Hanwell Big Local activity and an asset for residents, along with community centres on Gurnell Grove and Copley Close estates.
The Hanwell partnership’s original vision was: “our neighbourhood will be a vibrant and safe place to be; a place where people feel they belong, can thrive and are inspired to create opportunities to work and play together”. Early priorities, based on community engagement events, included youth work and play, and green spaces. After the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, health and wellbeing became a greater focus. Regular programmes included a small grants scheme (up to £500), events (like fun days), and a training and skills development fund.
The Big Local partnership grew in confidence over the years. The long-term investment allowed members to try different approaches to making Hanwell an even better place to live, and the partnership left a legacy of improved support and activities.
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.
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.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Rejuvenating green spaces
Improving underused green spaces and communal areas was a clear early priority for the Hanwell Big Local partnership. Resident feedback in the first consultation showed that there were good indoor and outdoor assets locally, but these perhaps were not widely used due to accessibility, poor lighting, maintenance, and security. The partnership worked to improve the living environment through different schemes, like horticulture apprenticeships, public art, refurbishing green spaces on the estates, and improving a local woodland.
Working with local organisations and councils, the partnership created the Green Hanwell programme. Run by two different providers between 2016 and 2020, it encouraged residents to use green spaces, develop new skills, and improve their health and wellbeing. Activities included environmental craft workshops and talks, refurbishing planters, and planting flowers, herbs, and vegetables. They also engaged those responsible for estate regeneration, requesting that they preserve existing green spaces, rather than build on them. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when activities were paused, the partnership distributed growing kits for residents to use at home and created a teddy bear hunt in the woodlands. The partnership continued promoting Green Hanwell after the pandemic, with a greater focus on securing and reviving Copley Woodland – a long-term project intended to leave a strong legacy.
Copley Woodland was an overgrown and underused area of woodland within the Big Local area. The local council proposed the partnership take it on early in the programme. Extensive negotiation between the partnership, Locally Trusted Organisation and the council led to registration of the space as a conservation area and community asset while ownership remained with the council. During Big Local, the partnership supported the council to invest almost £70,000 in waste clearance and landscaping, alongside Big Local funding for training and planting. The woodland hosted a corporate day, with 30 corporate volunteers clearing nettles and paths, and planting bulbs.
The partnership helped install new signs and seating, and Big Local funding supported Hanwell Arts, where a local artist was commissioned to work with residents to create public artworks. The vision was to improve the area and leave a legacy, by reflecting its vibrancy, history, and diversity. The artist facilitated six workshops with adults and young people to generate ideas, which were turned into proposals for the partnership to select. The completed artworks were mobile, so they could move within the local area to be exhibited in different spaces and events.
There was a clear vision for how green spaces would form a legacy for Hanwell Big Local, and the long-term investment allowed them to try different approaches to achieving this.
Health and wellbeing
Increasing focus following Covid-19
During the Covid-19 lockdowns the partnership and their Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) led the coordination of mutual aid in the Hanwell area, recruiting and supporting volunteers to help residents. Big Local funding was used to top up free school meal vouchers and provide activity packs. Partnership members, workers, and volunteers got to know their community better, and Hanwell Big Local became known as a place to go for activities and support.
Workers and volunteers built extensive links with individuals and their families, through coordinating mutual aid, offering telephone support, and providing support with food or financial aid. Through these initiatives and a community survey, the partnership found there was a significant need for adult mental health support. This evidence helped the partnership prioritise health and wellbeing, successfully bidding for funding for new activities like ‘Refresh’. Responding to the emotional impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Refresh offered residents 16 weeks of free counselling and coaching, and provided volunteers with the opportunity to gain counselling qualifications. Big Local funding was invested in a series of health talks and workshops; boxing, Pilates, and yoga classes; wellbeing support sessions; a weekly social club; and an employment and careers advice session. These groups and classes provided local options for GPs to refer people to when in need of non-medical support.
Investing in young people
Investing in comprehensive provision for children and young people
The Hanwell partnership supported and provided youth clubs, activities, and holiday schemes. They set up a local youth council, to help decide on provision for children and young people. Plans for the youth council to lead on intergenerational projects and have its own budget unfortunately stalled, in part due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Activities for children and young people were regularly full, and the partnership was able to bring in additional funding to resource workers and running costs.
In one example of long-term support, a regular small grant enabled a resident to run a popular boxing club for young people, which was regularly over-subscribed. The resident formalised the club into a community interest company with a low-cost charge for sessions, making it more sustainable and able to continue beyond Big Local.
Alongside creative workshops, sports, cooking, and mentoring, the partnership supported a well-attended series of talks and workshops – I Matter – aimed at improving young people’s self-esteem and providing space to talk about issues that matter to them. Goals included increasing knowledge, improving health and wellbeing, and improving safety, with the sessions exploring subjects like gang prevention, money management, bullying and conflict resolution, and gender equality.
According to the 2023 impact report of EASE, young people who attended the session on money management felt more optimistic about their future, having learnt new financial skills. Other participant surveys showed that they felt better able to strengthen their relationships with others, through a better understanding of mental health and confidence in asserting boundaries. Young people taking part said the activities improved life on the estates (by making them safer) and helped them understand how to help their community.
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 Hanwell, Copley Close Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024a) ‘People on universal credit: not in employment’. (Accessed 23 January 2025)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024b) ‘Jobseeker’s allowance’. (Accessed 23 January 2025)
Ealing Council (2012). Housing Estate Regeneration Update — Copley Close redevelopment proposals. (Accessed 20 February 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 21 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. (Accessed 21 January 2025)