The Kingsbrook and Cauldwell Big Local area was south of the River Great Ouse, across from Bedford town centre. Though well connected to the rest of Bedford, transport across the area was limited. Green space was available in Kingsbrook (with Jubilee Park and Moor Lane Park), and while Cauldwell had less outdoor space, residents could access amenities nearby (including an allotment and Priory Country Park). The area was home to schools, health and leisure facilities, a doctor’s surgery, a church, and several community centres.
In 2021, Kingsbrook and Cauldwell had a population of 10,843, with 11 per cent aged 65 and over (six per cent lower than Bedford) (ONS, 2022a; 2022b). The area was ethnically diverse, with a higher proportion of Asian residents than the rest of Bedford (ONS, 2023a; 2023b).
The Kingsbrook and Cauldwell Big Local partnership prioritised community pride, health and wellbeing, and safety. They planned to deliver most activities themselves, but soon adopted a mixed model of grant-giving and commissioning, organised through themed working groups. This increased their capacity and brought in more local partners. While some activities were delivered directly, larger initiatives were commissioned to external providers.
The Covid-19 pandemic reduced the partnership’s capacity to deliver their Big Local plans, leading them to produce a new plan to re-engage the community, re-energise the partnership, and recruit new members. However, they struggled throughout to reflect the area’s diversity, with membership remaining mostly white and female.
Community consultation helped re-establish relationships and identify emerging needs. The partnership commissioned outdoor activities to engage families and young people in planning. Citizen Engagement CIC supported the development of the new plan and trained four partnership members and their worker in community research, facilitating creative consultation with a range of partners. Findings were reviewed at a community assembly with over 100 residents (where a local company produced visual minutes) and, in 2022, four new priorities were established: community, future generations, parks, and environment.
Working with the Bedford and Luton Community Foundation, the partnership awarded grants to local groups whose work aligned with their own, benefitting an estimated 8,400 residents. Projects included classes, outreach, safety initiatives, and support for venues – for example, a Bangladeshi women’s group delivered English classes and organised an Eid celebration that continued for several years.
In 2024, the Kingsbrook and Cauldwell partnership transitioned to an alternative delivery model, as they were no longer able to meet Local Trust’s core criteria and guidance required for Big Local partnerships. The group had experienced longstanding interpersonal challenges and struggled to attract and retain members and reflect the diversity of the community. When the partnership concluded, £900,000 had already been invested in addressing residents’ needs and priorities.
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation (an organisation with experience managing grants regionally) collaborated with Bedfordshire Voluntary Community Service Council to deliver the final phase of Big Local in the area. They established and managed a legacy grant fund programme – in line with the partnership’s four priorities from 2022 – distributing the remaining Big Local funding to 18 local organisations. Funded projects included grants for improvements to community spaces (such as the Jubilation Centre), SEND support services for children and families, and food support (including cooking classes and community pantry funding).
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.
Each partnership was expected to reflect the specific needs and characteristics of its own area and was therefore unique. However, every partnership was expected to meet the following criteria:
Partnership members were asked to participate ‘in their own right’, meaning they could not represent the views of any other person or organisation.
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.
In the early years of Big Local, conversations with staff at the London Road Doctors Surgery raised concerns that GPs could not address social issues affecting residents’ health, such as social isolation, poor housing, and inactivity. In response, Big Local funding was invested in a Community Health Champion (CHC) throughout 2015–2016.
The CHC played an active role in the Kingsbrook and Cauldwell community – signposting (and sometimes accompanying) residents to services, like debt advice, benefits support, and walking groups. They helped set up initiatives with local organisations (including a diabetes support group, therapeutic gardening, and a Junior Park Run), which saw increased uptake following CHC referrals. The CHC offered basic health screenings and lifestyle advice, acted as a trusted advocate, connected parents and carers with the family support officer, and supported Age UK’s winter ‘warm homes’ project for at-risk patients.
The CHC helped the partnership towards their goal of creating a caring community by raising awareness of preventative healthcare and improving access to support. An NHS evaluation of the pilot found evidence of cost savings through reduced GP and nurse appointments, as well as improved physical activity and financial gains from accessing benefits, grants, and training. As a result, the council, NHS and other partners committed to funding additional champion roles across Bedford, beyond the initial one-year trial period and Big Local involvement.
Early on, a resident also voiced that more support was needed for local carers. The partnership met with Carers in Bedfordshire and Big Local funding was allocated for a project officer role for a year, with additional grants helping young carers access support groups.
The new officer worked to identify carers in Kingsbrook and Cauldwell and connect them with advice and resources. Three unpaid carers were identified, and 11 registered with the service. The project officer worked to build links between London Road Surgery and Carers in Bedfordshire, hosting monthly coffee mornings where carers could access advice, support, and information. The Community Health Champion regularly referred people to these sessions, creating a joined-up response to need in the community.
Wanting to facilitate a rich community life for residents of Kingsbrook and Cauldwell, mid-way through the programme the partnership supported ‘Coffee Pot’ sessions – regular informal gatherings run by volunteers in community spaces. The group (which predated Big Local) was first contacted by the partnership’s project officer during earlier outreach work with carers. Big Local funding helped sustain them by covering room hire, refreshments, and insurance, and during Covid-19, the partnership helped the sessions move online. The group became an important social channel for residents isolating or experiencing poor mental health, and helped partnership members stay connected.
The partnership also supported residents with their essential needs during the Covid-19 crisis. A grant to All Nations Church helped subsidise food provision, enabling them to adapt their existing foodbank into delivery of over 50 food packages per week for families in vulnerable circumstances. Big Local funding was also invested in accessible walking activities to support social connection, distribution of food parcels and toys to families, and a ‘friendship bench’ for outdoor meetups.
Towards the end of the programme, Big Local legacy funding was also used to set up an interactive cooking programme for families and individuals. This aimed to empower residents to cook healthy and low-cost meals at home.
The Kingsbrook and Cauldwell partnership supported community venues throughout the programme, initially offering grants to improve facilities and exploring options for their own space. In 2022, they launched a hub at the Jubilation Centre, beginning with drop-in social sessions and later expanding to a popular after-school programme. Activities were coordinated by the Big Local worker with some voluntary support, but demand soon exceeded capacity, contributing to strains within the partnership.
The following year, concerns around risk, safeguarding, and insurance prompted a pause. The hub was then recommissioned to Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity, who expanded its offer based on community feedback. Towards the end of Big Local, the hub was operating as a weekly four-hour drop-in, funded until late 2025. The commissioned organisation also applied for further Big Local grant funding to support future delivery, which led to an extension of the Jubilation Centre enabling them to increase their capacity and support more older residents.
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.
Compared to the rest of Bedford, a high percentage of younger residents (aged 0–19) in Kingsbrook and Cauldwell were living in relative low-income families (DWP, 2025). In response, the partnership worked to provide affordable, healthy activities.
In 2015, they supported the Community Health Champion in organising a ‘run and ride’ event with the local Community Sport Activator. The day brought together over 300 residents for family-friendly activities, to launch a free weekly ‘fun run’ for children and their parents and carers. The fun run brought the community together, with more than 50 runners and many volunteers each week. Its popularity and impact encouraged the partnership to continue support, with the launch of a Junior Park Run in Jubilee Park in 2017, welcoming 74 young park runners.
Around the same time as the run and ride event, discussions with the local Atletico Europa Football Club revealed that they were outgrowing their former location and wanted to expand. Keen to support a group helping local children lead healthier lives, the partnership awarded a grant to help them relocate to Jubilee Park, helping revitalise an area with a rich footballing history. Through Big Local funding, the club renovated their changing rooms, negotiated pitch use with the council, and improved their facilities. Increased participation from local youth followed, and the club expanded to run five junior and two senior teams.
To help tackle fly-tipping and boost community pride, the Kingsbrook and Cauldwell partnership built on an existing model of biannual clean-up days run by the Eastside Community Group in Cauldwell. From 2015, they worked with Bedford Pilgrims Housing Association and Bedford Borough Council to organise regular clean-up events each spring and autumn, aiming to reduce illegal dumping by offering free collection for large items. Big Local funding covered costs of a council bin lorry, two waste vans, and paid workers to help with collections.
The partnership observed significant environmental improvements, confirmed by the Bedford Borough Council in 2022, who fed-back to the partnership that there had been a 40 per cent reduction in fly-tipping in Cauldwell and a 74 per cent reduction in Kingsbrook. As well as saving residents’ money and reducing environmental hazards, the events helped create a cleaner neighbourhood.
In 2015, Big Local funding was allocated to develop a skatepark at Moor Lane playing field, to improve outdoor spaces and respond to the community desire for free, active facilities for local youth. The partnership worked with Bedford Sports Development (Just Turn Up) to host a skating event that allowed them to consult over 50 young residents. Attendees tested equipment, completed a questionnaire, and entered a raffle to win a new skateboard. Several young skaters were invited to help design the new park. Despite some early delays, the new skatepark opened in 2017 and it quickly became well-used, attracting residents and visitors. Its ongoing maintenance was taken on by the local council, securing its future beyond Big Local.
Improving green spaces was a priority for both residents and the partnership in Kingsbrook and Cauldwell. Partnership members, newly trained in community research, found that appreciation for outdoor areas had grown over time – particularly during and after the Covid-19 pandemic – leading to increased interest in gardening. In response, the partnership commissioned two major environmental projects focused on Jubilee Park.
In 2015, acting on a resident’s suggestion, they worked with Bedford Borough Council to expand plans for a new outdoor gym. Big Local funding was invested in the facility, which opened the following year during a the ‘run and ride’ event. The partnership commissioned Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity to support the new Friends of Jubilee Park, in organising activities (like park walks and planting sessions) and seeking external funding to continue beyond Big Local.
The Conservation Volunteers launched the Grow Project, creating a community allotment behind a leisure centre, where residents could learn gardening skills (like building raised beds, food growing, and planting) in a relaxed, inclusive setting. The project fostered confidence, connection, and wellbeing, and was continuing to expand towards the end of Big Local. By 2025, towards the end of Big Local, the site had grown significantly – raised beds were built with other organisations, bug homes were installed, water butts were donated, and a growing number of volunteers were getting involved.
A final Big Local grant was allocated to fund park activities for older residents and ongoing improvements, such as planting sessions and wildlife enhancements. This also enabled the Conservation Volunteers to establish a community garden food-growing project, designed specifically to engage residents not in employment.
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 Kingsbrook and Cauldwell Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2025) ‘Children in low income families: local area statistics’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2024 (Accessed 23 May 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 23 May 2025)
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 23 May 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 12 March 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 12 March 2025)
