Inner East Preston

Creating a safe outdoor space for the community

As part of their priority to enhance green spaces and improve their safety, the Fishwick and St Matthews (FAM) partnership did an audit of local green spaces and underused land. The first space identified for refurbishment was Paul’s Pad, a green space created when former flats were demolished on the site in 2002. In 2014 plans were proposed to build more housing on the green, but residents opposed this, reflecting that Paul’s Pad was the only pocket of green space in a densely populated area.

Although the space was used regularly by local families, the partnership felt it was not a safe environment. Working alongside residents, they negotiated with the local authority to keep and improve it as green space. It was agreed that developers would be offered alternative sites for new homes, and a consultation event was held in 2016 to understand how the community wanted Paul’s Pad to be used.

Due to issues around land transfers and rising project costs, this project took several years to complete. The partnership developed key skills through this process – writing and reviewing tenders, managing a capital project, and working collaboratively with Preston City Council and Community Gateway Association (a housing association). Paul’s Pad was transformed into a safe community space, with the land cleared and turfed, and fencing installed.

Pursuing the improvement of Waverley Park and the creation of a community hub

From the start of Big Local, the partnership wanted to invest in Waverley Park. Big Local funding was allocated to improve the space, by upgrading the footpath, car park, and lighting.

Later plans explored creating a multi-purpose community hub at Waverley Park, by repurposing an existing building, bringing in services, and improving the outdoor area, to support families and improve community safety. However, in 2023, Preston City Council secured money from the national government’s Levelling Up Fund to invest in community infrastructure, which included Waverley Park. The partnership decided to endorse the bid through a letter of support and the allocation of Big Local funding. Planned upgrades to the park included a new pump cycle track, revamping the existing skate park and football pitches, a new sports pavilion, and expanding the car park.

In response to the challenges of being part of a large, long-term, local authority-led project, Local Trust offered to manage project completion directly with Preston City Council on behalf of the partnership. After the end of the Big Local programme, works were underway to protect the park’s heritage, improve access, and provide better spaces for residents to enjoy outdoor activities. 

Investing in a local group to sustain access to services

Community care, improved access to employment, and tackling social isolation were important to residents. The partnership felt these needs could be met by bringing services into the area and supporting existing groups. A key partner which helped meet these needs was Sahara in Preston, a voluntary organisation with a community space, who worked predominantly with women who identify as Black, Asian, or other minoritised identities.

In the Fishwick and St Matthews area, 19 per cent of households had no residents who spoke English as a main language (ONS, 2022c). Big Local funding was allocated to Sahara in Preston to offer a range of support. This included advice on immigration, wellbeing, and finances; parenting, childcare, and healthcare clinics; training in employment skills, English, mathematics, computer skills, cookery, and sewing; and a lunch club. In total, 122 women completed training, developing skills like community interpreting and classroom assistance.

Big Local funding also supported the installation of a lift in the Sahara in Preston space, improving accessibility for residents with mobility needs. Towards the end of Big Local, they were awarded a final grant to support their well-established programme of events and activities for local women.

Engaging residents through a listening project

Throughout the first part of the programme, the partnership engaged the Fishwick and St Matthews community through newsletters, social media, stakeholder meetings, celebration days, and consultation events. As part of renewed efforts to engage the community, mid-way through, in 2021, Big Local funding was allocated to Shared Places to deliver a community-led participatory project to develop the partnership’s final plan.

This new approach was designed to train residents to: lead engagement, understand and respond to local issues, and strengthen community involvement. Ten residents were recruited through posters, social media, and the area’s stakeholder network, eight of whom completed training to become Community Listeners. Over a few months, the Community Listeners conducted 488 conversations with residents.

The listening project helped residents develop confidence and skills to better understand and respond to community needs. The Community Listeners experienced some challenges, including difficulty engaging men and young people, language barriers, and a lack of consistency in local groups. But the project successfully informed the partnership’s revised priorities for its final years and legacy planning.

Using small grants to bring services into the area

A few years into Big Local, the partnership launched its first small grants pot to help bring services into the area. A task group of partnership members led the community chest, holding funding panels to approve bids.

One of the projects supported through the first round of small grants was Cacophony Arkestra, a music programme to support place-based pride and build community. Cacophony Arkestra used funding to run a series of creative workshops, enabling over 40 residents to form a music and arts troupe to perform at Preston and Blackpool carnivals. Several residents shared that taking part and performing publicly developed their confidence, skills, and social connections.

The partnership took a flexible approach to grant-giving, adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted progress but provided opportunities to try new ways of working. They introduced emergency Covid-19 grants, with a simplified application process, faster decisions, and more flexible support. This led to a wider review of how all Fishwick and St Matthews Big Local projects were monitored and evaluated.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the partnership also created a Winter holiday pot of £5,000, with grants available to five local schools for Christmas parties, performances, presents, and decorations.

The small grants scheme was finessed over time, and the final round of grants required applicants to identify gaps in local provision and demonstrate resident involvement in shaping proposals. This was intended to ensure funding would be invested in strengthening community services and facilities. Towards the end, a final £100,000 of Big Local funding was allocated through 11 small grants. Sahara in Preston and Preston Community Hub also received grants towards the end of the Big Local programme, with the partnership identifying them as key community spaces. Those running the Preston Community Hub used the funding to sustain their existing programme of activities and repair the roof. 

Offering support to women during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Fishwick and St Matthews partnership worked to support residents in multiple ways during the Covid-19 pandemic, including meeting urgent needs, and creating opportunities to bring the community together.

During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, Sahara in Preston reported considerably higher rates of calls from women experiencing domestic abuse. Big Local funding helped Sahara in Preston create a dedicated phone line for support relating to domestic abuse.

The organisation’s multi-lingual staff operated the phone line, so callers could access support in their primary language and speak with someone who understood cultural factors in their communities. Staff used advice from different agencies to help reduce tensions in callers’ homes, and secured refuge places when they were in life-threatening situations.

Big Local funding was also allocated to socially distanced dance classes, which aimed to reduce social isolation and offer a fun way for women and girls to stay active during lockdowns. Across the ten sessions, 50 residents took part, mostly adults from the St Matthews and Fishwick area. 

Responding to food poverty

Mid-way through the programme, the partnership prioritised food poverty and addressed it in various ways. The partnership organised food sharing events to help residents build practical skills and financial confidence. Friendly competitions for best meal and best cake were held during an event at a local school. These events helped promote affordable and healthy eating, and prompted conversations about food poverty and household budgeting.

Big Local funding helped Preston City Council’s food hub project to create a network of local schools and organisations (like Preston Community Hub). This network enabled a linked-up approach to providing affordable food to residents, and the Preston Community Hub continued to operate a foodbank after Big Local.

At its peak, the food hub supported more than 300 families with 1,440 food parcels and over 7,200 meals in a single week. It later expanded to include grow-and-cook sessions, a community kitchen, and wider wrap-around support, such as debt advice and access to training and employment.

Establishing a Community Loan Scheme

Early on, to support residents experiencing financial challenges and exclusion, the partnership worked with Lancashire Community Finance (LCF) to provide low-interest loans as an alternative to high-cost credit. LCF developed a bespoke, affordable product to provide low-cost personal loans, business support, and financial education.

Within a year, 29 residents (from 39 applications) accessed loans, with those who did not meet eligibility criteria receiving advice and guidance. The project was over-subscribed, and LCF used its own reserves to meet additional demand, with a further £10,000 in Big Local funding. Two years after it begun, the scheme was extended to local shops, providing £500 to £5,000 to businesses in the area to repair or replace shopfront signage.

Personal loans were available alongside community-based money management sessions. Over 40 per cent of loans were used for home improvements and 25 per cent to manage festive season expenses, with more than half the loans given to solo parents. Of successful applicants, 63 per cent were unwaged, and unable to access legitimate credit elsewhere.

Many residents reported significant savings compared to doorstep lenders. By 2021, a total of 303 personal loans had been issued, averaging £555 each, with £168,165 lent overall. The total interest charged to residents was £8,416, compared to £40,467 or £82,179 from local lenders for equivalent loans, and at the end of 2017 (one year into the project), only 11 loans were in arrears. Working with the Illegal Money Lending Team, 1,000 Stop the Shark flyers were also distributed, warning of the dangers of loan sharks.

Residents reflected that they felt supported, and the project became self-sustaining (without Big Local funding) five years after it began.