Hawksworth Wood Estate, the Abbeydales and the Vespers (HAVA)
Key points
- The local environment was improved, through creating a skate park and outdoor gym, and renovating a play area.
- Community events and activities, like an annual Christmas lights celebration, provided opportunities for residents to come together and build connections.
- The partnership secured a community building in the middle of the area and created a new organisation — Belonging Empowering and Thriving (BEAT) — to manage it.
About the Big Local area
The Hawksworth Wood, Abbeydales and Vespers Area (known locally as HAVA) Big Local included the Hawksworth Wood estate and the areas of Abbeydales and Vespers, in the Kirkstall ward of Leeds. The area was around 3.5 miles north-west from Leeds city centre.
The area’s population was 4,294 and it was in the top 20 per cent most deprived areas in England (ONS, 2022a; MHCLG, 2019). Twice as many young people were unemployed (10 per cent), compared to the local authority area (five per cent) (DWP 2025a; 2025b). Compared to the local authority average, the area also had a higher proportion of residents over 65 who reported that they did not have good health (ONS 2022b; 2023).
The area had a mixture of detached, semi-detached, and terraced housing, as well as churches, a nursery, primary school and children’s centre, and a few shops and businesses. There was green space and a stream in the west of the area, with the River Aire and the A65 to the south.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The Hawksworth Wood, Abbeydales, and Vespers Area (HAVA) Big Local partnership was established in 2013. Their vision was to strengthen connections in the community and for residents to have the support they needed to fulfil their potential. Over the years they focused on different priorities, which they adapted as delivery went on.
Their priorities included supporting residents into employment and training; building confidence and skills; investing in the local environment; improving wellbeing; supporting active healthy lifestyles; and activities and facilities for children and young people. One consistent focus for the partnership was to secure their own community building, for activities, events, and support.
The partnership felt the community was not previously involved in decisions that affected them, so they regularly consulted residents about priorities, using different methods. They captured ideas and feedback through public meetings, surveys, and stakeholder consultations, which (combined with local statistics), shaped their first and subsequent plans. Later they held Community Forums to consult with and update the community on progress. They recruited paid workers whose roles involved community engagement, communicating the partnership’s work, and consulting on specific projects.
The partnership wanted to support local collaboration as they felt that organisations and providers often worked in isolation. So, in addition to resident members, the partnership included individuals from the Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO), local churches, council, businesses, and charities. The partnership highlighted these relationships as one of their achievements during Big Local, and an important enabling factor to their successes.
The partnership experienced periods of interpersonal conflict and challenges with the support from their LTO, which impacted their progress, confidence, and capacity. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there were several changes in quick succession, including to their membership and within their LTO. However, they were able to recruit new members (who brought new capacity, skills, and ideas), and with support from their paid workers, the partnership moved forward with their plan.
As part of their aim to support residents to fulfil their potential, the partnership supported activities and projects to help residents access employment, like training, job fairs, and job clubs. They created volunteering opportunities for residents to build skills and experience, and Big Local funding provided small grants for residents to deliver projects and business ideas for community benefit. By the end of Big Local, the partnership had a small ‘bank’ of experienced volunteers to draw on for support with activities and events.
Towards the end of Big Local, the HAVA partnership had delivered support, activities, and events, and Big Local funding had been invested in community assets, but their priority to create a community-led building remained. They established Belonging Empowering and Thriving (BEAT), a Community Interest Organisation (CIO) to continue their legacy. Trustees and staff were drawn the partnership, supporting staff and wider community.
Towards the end of Big Local, HAVA secured the former YMCA building in the centre of the Hawksworth Wood estate under a lease for BEAT. BEAT worked with local organisations and residents to bring activities, support, and services into the space and to create a vibrant, community building.
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.
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.
A Big Local Plan set out what changes the partnership planned to make, how they planned to deliver on this and how funds were to be allocated. It was written for themselves, their community and Local Trust, as a guide and action plan.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Pursuing a long-standing ambition for a community building
Early in the Big Local programme, the partnership rented an office and space in a local village hall. This became the base for their workers, hosted activities, and acted as their community hub, however, the space was limited. The partnership saw an opportunity to create a new space for the Hawksworth Wood, Abbeydales, and Vespers (HAVA) community, to enable a greater range of activities, events, and support to meet community needs.
The partnership felt that existing local venues were not always suitable for community use, due to size, costs, and restrictions on use. Big Local funding was set aside for the project and the partnership spent years consulting the community and exploring options for a new hub, like designing and building a new venue, or refurbishing existing buildings.
The partnership faced several setbacks. Potential buildings became unavailable, plans fell through, and timelines were strained by the Covid-19 pandemic and Big Local coming to an end. A key priority was that the community should control the space, so the partnership established Belonging Empowering and Thriving (BEAT). This was a new Community Interest Organisation (CIO), designed to take on a building and continue community support beyond Big Local.
In 2024, a building the partnership had previously pursued became available. The YMCA building in the middle of Hawksworth Wood estate was a purpose-built community centre. With education and sporting activities, it had been a focal point for the community, but in recent years it closed and fell into disrepair. The partnership secured the building on a lease through BEAT, who towards the end of the programme were working towards raising the funds and creating income streams to purchase it in the future.
The aim was for a wide range of activities, events, projects, and services to be delivered in one place, for the Big Local area and beyond. Big Local funding was used for renovations, repairs, and core costs. Meanwhile, BEAT set up a new group of community members (including several from the HAVA partnership) to inform how the space would be developed, alongside a group of young leaders. As Big Local was coming to a close, the space had been open for a year and had hosted several successful community events. These events included Deck the Halls (where 40 residents decorated the space with donated decorations, and made gingerbread and wreaths) and a well-attended Christmas event (with Santa, a Christmas tree, stalls, carol singing, and a DJ). Requests to use the space for one-off and regular events and activities were increasing, with established classes like yoga already in place.
Working collaboratively
Teaming up to create a new skate park and improve a park
Improving the environment and activities for young residents were priorities for the Hawksworth Wood, Abbeydales, and Vespers Area (HAVA) Big Local partnership. Cragside Park was identified as a potential site for investment. The park was built on a landfill site, with a sports field (which was closed before Big Local, due to waterlogging) and a multi-use games area.
The partnership approached developers about options for the site, and ultimately worked with Leeds City Council, landscape architects from Groundwork, and other organisations to create a multi-phased plan for improving the park. Throughout the project, the partnership held Community Forums to share progress and get feedback on specific designs. Consultation for the skate park included young people and skaters, whose feedback led to changes in the design. A local artist was commissioned to work with young people to decorate the skate park once it opened.
In addition to Big Local funding, the partnership was actively involved in the project as it developed. Groundwork attended partnership meetings, where the partnership shared their feedback, asked questions, and scrutinised plans as they developed. The skate park and footpaths were completed in 2018. Groundwork then began on the following phases – improving the play area, installing an outdoor gym, and creating a mile-long path around the park, as a running route away from the road. The partnership described the project as a major achievement, which helped raise their profile and build their confidence.
The improvements increased community engagement with the park, with the wheelchair-friendly path improving accessibility. The gym equipment and play areas became well-used, and the skate park was popular with young people. The partnership felt residents of all ages, and young residents specifically, took care of the skate park and had a sense of ownership over it, which stemmed from their involvement in its development and design.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Supporting community-led food provision
Small grants, the Hawksworth Wood, Abbeydales, and Vespers Area (HAVA) partnership, and the Big Local worker supported projects and food provision in the Big Local area during the Covid-19 pandemic. Small grants supported local organisations to adapt to government guidance, like providing a new awning for a school, to enable outdoor activities.
Big Local funding and the worker helped establish a new food project that was delivered by partnership members and local volunteers. The partnership member who led the project felt there were gaps in local food provision. Volunteers cooked, froze, and delivered meals and food parcels to residents on a weekly basis, at one point regularly cooking approximately 400 meals.
Another project used a partnership member’s front garden as a distribution point for surplus food. The partnership worked with local supermarkets, to arrange for partnership members and volunteers to collect donated surplus food, which was then advertised on social media, inviting people to take what they needed. There were often queues of residents collecting food, and the partnership estimated this project supported up to 60 families a day.
The partnership felt they had helped to destigmatise food support, enabling them to meet the needs of hundreds of people a week. Both projects continued delivering after the Covid-19 pandemic to meet continuing needs. Partnership members won the Leeds West Local Hero Awards for their work increasing food provision.
Place-based pride and connection
Bringing people together through free events
The Hawksworth Wood, Abbeydales, and Vespers Area (HAVA) Big Local partnership wanted to strengthen connections between residents and support activities that would improve their physical and mental health. Big Local funding supported groups and organisations to deliver activities where residents could come together and socialise, like Hawkswood Older People Senior (HOPS) who delivered activities for residents aged over 60.
The partnership also worked with stakeholders and volunteers to deliver large, seasonal events to bring people together throughout the year. These included annual Easter hunts and Easter egg trails, summer events, and Christmas events which were particularly popular. Early in the programme, Big Local funding provided a Christmas tree and lights for the community, while the partnership worked with residents, local organisations, and businesses to arrange an annual Christmas lights switch on event. These events took place in the centre of the Hawksworth Wood estate, and attracted hundreds of attendees, with music, carols, hot drinks, and a local celebrity to switch on the lights.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the partnership introduced an advent walk in response to the restrictions. Twenty-four homes decorated their windows with a festive display, one for each night of the advent calendar. A map led residents to each display, and the advent walk culminated in the lighting of the Christmas tree.
The partnership felt these free and popular events were important for bringing people together, and helped to create a feeling of 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 HAVA Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2025a) ‘Universal credit: Employment status by age’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-august-2025 (Accessed 16 March 2026)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2025b) ‘Jobseekers allowance by age’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-august-2025 (Accessed 16 March 2026)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 (Accessed 16 March 2026)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 16 March 2026)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Aged 65 years and over’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 16 March 2026)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Self-reported general health: bad health/very bad health’. Available at ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/articles/generalhealthbyagesexanddeprivationenglandandwales/census2021 ( Accessed 16 March 2026)