Hateley Cross - Hateley Heath and Stone Cross

Improving green spaces and bringing communities together

From the outset, Hateley Cross Big Local (HCBL) wanted to bring the area’s considerable, but unmanaged, green spaces into use by making existing play areas cleaner and safer, developing better maintenance of green space and creating new recreational facilities. They set up a dedicated subgroup for green spaces and, in 2017, appointed a consultant to develop a Green Space Strategy in consultation with the local community. 

While holding consultation events on a range of green spaces, which included pop-up play activities, HCBL built relationships with Sandwell Council that resulted in a two-year programme of improvements across the area. Following the installation of pavement games, basketball hoops, goal posts, benches and bins, the partnership reported increased use of green spaces for relaxation, sport and play. When a ​‘trim trail’ was completed at Kesteven Green, which linked Hateley Heath and Stone Cross, it was launched with a celebratory ​‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ and Easter egg hunt in 2022, attended by over 600 residents. 

Reflecting resident concerns about litter, in 2022 HCBL also launched an ​‘Adopt a Street’ litter scheme, which initially attracted 60 volunteers, and a monthly community litter pick. Both went from strength to strength throughout the lifetime of the Big Local programme.

Transforming a neglected open space 

Mill Pool wetlands, grasslands and woods is a large open space on the site of a former colliery. When Big Local began, it was overgrown with brambles, littered with filled-in mine shafts and dotted with diseased trees. Perceived to be unsafe by many residents, the site was commonly known as ​‘The Milky’ due to the cloudy appearance of its polluted water.

To tackle these challenges, in 2017 HCBL worked with Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust to develop a draft action plan and, two years later, commissioned a feasibility study to gather the community’s views and test out ideas. The partnership then communicated the community’s aspirations for Mill Pool to the council. Working with a lead council officer, the partnership became instrumental in ensuring a programme of improvements was completed. These works included clearing and repairing pathways, installing bins and picnic benches and creating more welcoming entrances. By 2023 residents could safely visit Mill Pool and enjoy its natural beauty.

Establishing a busy community hub 

Aside from the library in Stone Cross, Hateley Cross had few community facilities. Even the partnership sometimes met outside the area until, in 2019, they petitioned Sandwell Council to offer a former Play Association building in Hateley Heath to the community. 

After 4 Community Trust (4CT), a community interest company, obtained a 10-year low-rent lease on the property from the council, HCBL provided £20,000 for refurbishments. The Hub opened in 2021 and was used by 4CT, HCBL and other groups, offering meetings and events for all ages – from after-school clubs to sound bath sessions. 

To support residents during the cost of living crisis, the partnership and 4CT worked with the Your Local Pantry charity to launch J’s Pantry, which opened at The Hub towards the end of the programme. For a weekly membership fee of £6, this community-run initiative sold essential foods at a fraction of the cost of local supermarkets, including fruit and vegetables grown by volunteers. 

During its first year, J’s Pantry facilitated 162 shopping visits each month, saving shoppers over £48,000 in total. Pantry members made new friends during their weekly shop and had the chance to consult Citizens Advice helpers, Community Navigators and cost of living advisors. On some days they could spend time with Kona, an emotional wellbeing dog.

Supporting residents to navigate employment and training support

Though they initially funded individual training projects with local providers, such as fork-lift crane courses, in 2022 the partnership commissioned research from business and development training specialists Future Excel to gain a better understanding of community needs around employment and skills. This showed that local service providers rarely connected with one another, while residents struggled to navigate available support. HCBL shared the findings with local stakeholders, who helped shape plans for a Community Navigator scheme that launched in partnership with the Sandwell Consortium a year after the research had been commissioned. 

In the scheme’s first year, two Navigators based at The Hub supported hundreds of residents with job searches, CV preparation and interview skills. They made referrals to jobs clubs and welfare support, community groups and courses on English-language and positive mental health. After one resident was approached by a Navigator while shopping in the community pantry, they began attending a jobs club and volunteered as a trainer in their specialist field, which boosted their confidence and motivation. As a result, they secured employment with one of the Community Navigator partner organisations themselves:

Engaging with schools to inspire primary pupils

From early on, the partnership recognised that the area’s three primary schools offered a potential route to reach and support young people. After initial contact made little impact, the partnership identified key members of staff and approached them around issues specifically relevant to their school. HCBL then gave each school £10,000 a year for three years. Half the funding supported environmental projects, like creating a garden and setting up a lunchtime gardening club. The remaining half supported projects designed to raise young people’s aspirations, such as outdoor libraries and first-aid training.

To build on this, HCBL later partnered with a local organisation that delivered training workshops with young people. These aimed to empower primary school pupils to influence their own neighbourhood and leisure options, building confidence that their views would be taken seriously in the future.