Set close to the South Downs, just inland from the popular tourist destination of Bexhill-on-Sea, the village of Sidley lacked places to meet or venues for hosting activities. Local sports facilities had closed, many community spaces had been repurposed, and venues were hard to find.
The Heart of Sidley Big Local area was home to nearly 5,000 residents in 2021, 3,500 of whom lived in one of the 10 per cent most deprived neighbourhoods in the country (ONS, 2022; MHCLG, 2019). Compared with the wider South East, the percentage of lone-parent families and children in low-income households was high (ONS, 2024; DWP, 2024a), as were rates of youth unemployment (DWP, 2024b; 2024c). As of 2022, 38 per cent of households in the area lived in socially-rented housing, compared with 10 per cent across the district council area (ONS, 2023).
Despite financial and infrastructure challenges, the partnership reflected that residents valued local community spirit and the strong relationships between residents.
The Heart of Sidley partnership’s driving vision was summed up by three words: Act, Belong, and Commit. They wanted people to be actively involved in, and proud to belong to, a community committed to its future. Their priorities involved supporting community facilities, increasing community pride, and providing a range of inclusive activities for Sidley residents.
To seek residents’ views, the partnership completed extensive community consultations, including one that engaged over 500 people. They built involvement through an active Facebook group with 3,500 followers, two noticeboards on Sidley High Street, and pre-paid postcards delivered to all residents so they could easily respond. The Heart of Sidley Big Local mascot — Sid the Butterfly — had his own email address, which anyone could message about anything.
To support their work, the partnership engaged Southern Housing as a Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) to employ a full-time project coordinator and a part-time administrator. Southern Housing paid half the salary of the coordinator post on the understanding that Big Local activities would benefit their residents. The partnership reflected that the paid staff played an important role in helping Heart of Sidley Big Local to “join the dots” with businesses and community organisations in the area. This helped the partnership to build a positive reputation with residents, councillors, and other stakeholders.
A key feature of the partnership’s work was bringing residents together to maintain and grow the local sense of community. This involved regular events, helping new groups or clubs to establish themselves, and ensuring activities for families were low- or no-cost. The partnership had to draw on a range of venues to deliver their work, as many community spaces were not available to hire in the evening or on weekends. During the Covid-19 pandemic the partnership adapted its activities to support people at home. They delivered cream teas to older people, provided online dementia support, and hosted a virtual pantomime.
In 2020, the Heart of Sidley Big Local partnership merged with the Sidley Community Association to form the Heart of Sidley Community Association (HOSCA). Partnership members became trustees of HOSCA. They observed that Sidley had become an even better place to live over the course of the Big Local programme and felt they had developed the skills to continue supporting the community in the future. In the final years of Big Local, the partnership progressed with the development of an ambitious new community hub, in collaboration with Rother District Council. On completion, HOSCA intended to manage the hub, which aimed to provide a new, permanent base for local community 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.
The partnership consulted widely to understand what community facilities people wanted and worked closely with the council to create a permanent community space. After initial plans to acquire another site proved difficult, they decided to focus on adding a new community space to Sidley Recreation Ground (Sidley Rec).
Initially the partnership engaged in conversations with Rother District Council (RDC) about redeveloping the existing, under-used toilets and changing facilities on Sidley Rec. When RDC received Levelling Up funding from the national government, the partnership submitted a funding bid. Having previously worked with De La Warr Pavillion on events and children’s activities, they submitted a joint bid for both Sidley Rec and the pavilion (a Grade I‑listed 1930’s arts venue in Bexhill-on-Sea).
Towards the end of Big Local, in 2023, RDC committed £2m to redevelop the toilets and changing facilities at Sidley Rec into a new two-storey community hub, with rooms for hire and a café. Heart of Sidley Big Local partnership committed £150,000 towards the project and played an important role in representing the community during the hub’s rapid design process. This included wheelchair users advising the partnership to ensure accessibility, and young people sharing what they would like to see in the space. The partnership arranged with the construction company for local artists and schoolchildren to decorate the site hoardings with street art, while a regular newsletter from the company kept residents in the loop as the hub was built.
A Memorandum of Understanding was developed between the partnership and RDC, laying out the joint aspirations of the project and ways of working. On completion, management of the hub was planned to be transferred to Heart of Sidley Community Association, to continue the Big Local legacy in the area. As the Big Local programme came to an end, the community hub was nearing completion, with a grand opening scheduled for summer 2026. The Heart of Sidley partnership hoped the community hub would become a space where residents could come together, feel less isolated, and access the services they need.
As part of the partnership’s work supporting community spaces in Sidley, Big Local funding was invested in sports groups and facilities, like sponsoring Sidley Cricket Club and providing shirts that helped players feel part of the team. When the club’s ground was sold to developers, Big Local funding contributed towards changing rooms and pitch markings at its new temporary home. The partnership offered advice on funding opportunities to ensure the club continued.
Big Local funding was also invested in a local bicycle motocross (BMX) track. In the 1980s, Sidley was the home of British BMX, but by 2016 the Bexhill Jump Park racetrack needed maintenance. An initial £5,000 of Big Local funding was invested to rebuild the dirt jump park on Sidley Recreation Ground. Two years later, a further £76,000 was allocated to contribute towards building a new floodlit BMX track for competitive races, and a concrete skate park. These developments enabled more young people to engage in the park’s Jump Club BMX team and when coaching sessions were launched, Big Local funding was used to subsidise attendance costs for young residents. Bexhill Jump Park affiliated with British Cycling, making it an established venue for BMX racing in the South East of England, something which the partnership hoped would lift the local economy through attracting visitors. It was also hoped that the improved facilities would bring new people into the sport, which could improve their wellbeing and boost community cohesion.
Recognising the role that food can play in bringing residents together, a partnership member and a team of volunteers set up a weekly community lunch for older residents in Sidley. With 40 to 50 people enjoying low-cost healthy food while meeting new and old friends, these lunches provided a lifeline for some and helped improve residents’ mental health. After a pause during the Covid-19 pandemic, the club moved to a local church and became an independent group.
Food provision became a large part of the Heart of Sidley Big Local partnership’s delivery, due to the pandemic. After receiving £50,000 funding from East Sussex County Council’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme, the partnership supported residents with food, warm clothing, blankets, utility bills, and boiler servicing and repair. Wanting to continue this work, the partnership connected again with East Sussex County Council to distribute Household Support Fund grants, which the partnership re-developed as a voucher scheme.
Working with local shops, the partnership developed a process where residents could access a voucher — called Sidley Vouchers — to purchase food. The partnership hoped the scheme would support local businesses, which may have also been affected by increased cost of living. They also wanted to remove some of the stigma around seeking support, by empowering residents to make their own choices rather than providing a pre-packaged bag of food. In the first 12 months, 600 households accessed a Sidley Voucher.
The partnership reflected on the high impact of this work, recognising that some residents had not previously reached out for support from agencies or statutory bodies, but felt comfortable to approach the Heart of Sidley Big Local. The partnership found that positive relationships with local businesses were also important in delivering the voucher scheme. As the Big Local programme came to an end, Sidley Vouchers wrapped up as the national Household Support Fund concluded. However, the partnership remained a referral organisation for a foodbank, and were exploring ways to continue food support for the community.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, East Sussex County Council announced the closure of a children’s nursery in the Sidley Family Hub. Keen to save a community asset that provided lower-cost childcare options for local families, the Heart of Sidley Big Local partnership supported a resident-led campaign to keep the nursery open. The campaign was a success, and a local social enterprise — Bexhill Family Collective — was set up to run the nursery. Big Local funding was provided for fixtures and fittings in the newly renamed Dragonflies Community Nursery, which soon had a waiting list for admission. As the Big Local programme came to an end, Bexhill Family Collective ran a food pantry and community garden in the Family Hub to meet a range of residents’ needs.
Alongside support for families as part of their commitment to bringing the community together, the partnership was keen to provide low- or no-cost opportunities for families to have fun. Big Local funding was often provided for activities that would otherwise have been less affordable, like swimming at the local pool and trips to adventure parks. These activities provided opportunities for residents to socialise and have fun. Free and discounted dance and football sessions were also offered weekly, in partnership with StreetGames.
From summer 2021 onwards, the Heart of Sidley Big Local partnership also ran holiday, activity, and food (HAF) schemes for children who received free school meals. Funded by East Sussex County Council, these schemes gave children a chance to enjoy activities while also having a meal. Activities were delivered collaboratively with local organisations like Bexhill Family Collective and Fit and Fab Families, with sessions often supported by young volunteers.
The Heart of Sidley Big Local partnership wanted to provide opportunities for teenage residents, recognising that they were sometimes mistakenly accused of antisocial behaviour when socialising in public places. However, when the partnership began organising holiday activities, they struggled to engage participants between the ages of 12 and 16. Their research showed that teenagers didn’t want a programme for themselves, but wanted to help with younger age groups. A subsequent trial involving teenage volunteers proved so successful it continued every holiday, and a waiting list had to be set up for volunteer places.
Teen volunteers played games with younger children, supported creative activities during holiday activities, and supported forest school events. Every volunteer received training, their own high-visibility jacket and a £10 voucher for each day they volunteered. During a celebration event at the end of the programme, they were given a certificate and a gift. Some volunteers used their experience to gain Duke of Edinburgh awards and others used references from the partnership to gain employment.
Throughout the Big Local programme, the partnership distributed at least 45 small grants in the Heart of Sidley Big Local area. Some supported community activities, like a choir, a parent-toddler group, and tents for a Scout group. Others contributed to capital projects, like a running track for a local school and fencing around a community garden.
Grants of up to £5,000 were available. At first, application was by letter and a short form, but over time the partnership began inviting applicants to partnership meetings. They provided tea and biscuits, had an informal chat, and asked them to talk about their project. Partnership members felt they could make better decisions this way, while also connecting groups with other people and organisations delivering in the community. These connections led to a local school hosting the Scouts when they lost access to their venue, and the allotment gardening group agreeing to maintain and replant flower tubs on the high street.
The partnership felt their small grants scheme had been a success as it supported initiatives which may have otherwise struggled to find funding. They were particularly proud of grants that had enabled local schoolchildren to have better access to IT equipment and musical instruments.
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 Heart of Sidley Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024a) ‘Children in low income families: local area statistics’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2023/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-financial-year-ending-2023 (Accessed 11 December 2024)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024b) ‘Universal credit: Employment status by age’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-august-2024 (Accessed 11 December 2024)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024c) ‘Jobseekers allowance by age’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-august-2024 (Accessed 11 December 2024
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 11 December 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 11 December 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 28 April 2026)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2024) ‘UK Census 2021: Families and households: Lone parent households with dependent children’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/datasets/familiesandhouseholdsfamiliesandhouseholds/current (Accessed 11 December 2024)
