Once a small village in the East Midlands, Corby flourished and grew in the 1930s as workers, particularly from Ireland and Scotland, moved there to work in the new steel factory. Since its closure in the 1980s, the town has faced huge economic challenges, leading to large areas of deprivation and increasingly vulnerable communities. The Big Local area covered two housing estates in Corby, Kingswood and Hazel Leys, which were divided by a busy road. In 2021, it was home to approximately 8,000 residents (ONS, 2022).
Surrounded by woodlands and green spaces, the estates also had community centres, youth clubs and shops. Kingswood and Hazel Leys was in the top 20 per cent most deprived areas of England, with deprivation particularly affecting children (MHCLG, 2019a; 2019b). Compared to the wider East Midlands, the area had a higher proportion of residents from EU countries (ONS, 2023) and there was a higher proportion of adults receiving unemployment benefits (DWP, 2024a; 2024b).
Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership had a vision to create a healthy and thriving place where everyone felt included. As part of this, they wanted to build a more connected and resilient community by bringing residents from different estates, ages, and cultures together, and foster a sense of pride and ownership in their area.
To address the high levels of local unemployment and poverty, the partnership wanted to develop residents’ access to financial support, and build their confidence, skills and employability. They particularly wanted to raise aspirations for young people, and bring the community together, with a particular focus on older people and residents in vulnerable situations.
To achieve this, they decided to deliver projects with the help of local volunteers and partners in the area. Local residents developed skills, confidence and capacity through volunteering by supporting and leading activities. For major projects, such as developing a community workshop and new skate parks, members from the partnership formed sub-groups with residents. Sub-groups gave an opportunity for those involved to develop their confidence and experience in project management, communications and leadership. Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership established a close relationship with their Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO), Groundwork Northamptonshire, who provided support and promoted the partnership’s work in the area.
Individuals and groups in the area received funding to run activities through the Community Chest scheme, delivered by Northamptonshire Community Foundation, and Local Trust’s Creative Civic Change programme. The partnership also worked with multiple stakeholders to co-design, fund and deliver projects. Establishing a network of long-term supporters for the area was part of Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local’s legacy. As part of developing a community workshop, a Community Interest Organisation (CIO) was set up. As the programme came to an end, many individuals continued to be involved as trustees of the CIO, or as volunteers delivering local 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.
Alongside Big Local, between 2018–2022 Local Trust also ran the Creative Civic Change programme, an experimental funding programme that supported 15 communities across England to shape, lead and commission arts and creative interventions to make positive social change where they lived. Some Big Local areas were involved, alongside other areas.
To reduce social isolation and build residents’ skills, the Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership decided to establish a community workshop, based on the concept of Men’s Sheds, where people get to know and support each other while making or mending things in a communal shed. Members from the partnership, residents and key partners formed a working group in 2017 to oversee the capital project and secure funding. Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership initially invested £40,000 which the council match-funded.
Unable to find a suitable building for conversion, the group decided to build a new fit-for-purpose space. To attract additional funding, the working group decided to formally incorporate as KHL Community in Sheds Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2020. Its members and residents became trustees, some taking on this kind of role for the first time. They successfully secured additional funding from multiple sources. The group also managed the design and build, from engaging an architect, to contracting a steel company to build the framework, securing planning permission, and negotiating a lease with the council.
The CIO worked closely with local partners. Their LTO, Groundwork Northamptonshire, and Made with Many helped develop the CIO’s policies. Corby Borough Council helped them navigate council policies and procedures. Big Local funding covered unexpected build costs and the CIO was able to draw on funding and resources from the Creative Civic Change programme to run creative activities in the space. The free-to-use, volunteer-run Kingswood and Hazel Leys Community Workshop opened in 2022.
To meet the needs of children and young people in the area, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership refurbished an existing skate park on one estate, and built a new pump track for wheeled sports, such as scooters, BMX bicycles and rollerblading, on the other. They set up a small subgroup led by a partnership member who had experience of fundraising and developing skate parks. However, the group struggled to identify relevant funding sources and navigate planning permission requirements.
Following delays and setbacks, they rethought their approach and formed a new, multi-stakeholder working group in 2020 to progress the projects and identify funding sources. In addition to partnership members, this group included Northamptonshire Sport (nSport), Linwood community co-operative and North Northamptonshire Council who provided additional capacity, knowledge and resources.
Despite various challenges, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership worked patiently and persevered. They contributed £40,000 towards the project and by working with North Northamptonshire Council and Linwood community co-operative, they attracted nearly £300,000 additional funding to deliver these ambitious capital projects for each of the estates. The pump track opened in November 2022 with the skate park opening the following year.
To support the different needs of families, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership worked with Home-Start, a national charity that works with families with young children experiencing challenging times. From midway through the Big Local programme, the partnership awarded Home-Start Corby £10,000 a year to train residents as volunteers and fund bespoke support. Volunteers visited families for two hours a week and identified what would help each family, such as signposting to services, mental health support, or even purchasing a washing machine or redecorating a child’s bedroom.
The programme received positive feedback from families and volunteers, and strengthened the connection between residents and Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership. Home-Start staff and volunteers joined the partnership which helped them signpost families to other activities and support in the area.
Through an effective partnership with Citizens Advice, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership enabled residents to access over £4 million in benefits and £500,000 in recovered debt and settlements between 2017 and 2023.
An experienced Citizens Advice Welfare Rights and Debt Worker was funded to work on the Kingswood and Hazel Leys estates. They spent a day a week on each estate, providing residents with tailored advice to manage money, reduce debt, and prepare financial appeals. This made financial advice much more accessible to residents. The worker also negotiated with creditors and attended tribunals, advocating on behalf of residents so they could access the financial support they were entitled to. Residents became aware of their rights and entitlements, and how the welfare and social security system work. With renewed confidence and understanding, they were able to navigate the system, appeal, and access financial support they needed.
Early on, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership commissioned Made with Many, a consortium of local arts and community organisations, to deliver a music festival in a field near the Hazelwood neighbourhood centre. The partnership was involved in panel meetings, planning the event and commissioning local artists. The festival brought residents from the two estates together, gave local residents a sense of pride and created a positive, shared experience for residents from both estates and from further afield.
The year after, buoyed by their experience, the partnership organised the festival themselves. Over 600 people attended and it became an annual summer highlight, organised by a sub-group. Delivering it increased their organisational skills, and self confidence in organising large-scale events.
To strengthen their local community through the power of creativity, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local partnership applied for additional funding from Local Trust’s Creative Civic Change programme. They successfully secured a £200,000 grant which gave residents opportunities to work with creative organisations and artists to flex their creative muscle through open mic poetry nights, street art projects, museum trips and filmmaking sessions.
The programme acted as a turning point for the partnership, as it unlocked creative ideas and embedded creativity into other projects. For example, the programme funded crafting in the community workshop, sewing machines, 3D printers, and creative classes. It also funded a six-week programme teaching young people how to use their skates and scooters, and artist-designed benches for the skate park and pump track.
Creative Kingswood and Hazel Leys was created as the resident group leading the partnership’s creative programme. The chair of the partnership was co-chair of Creative Kingswood and Hazel Leys and, spurred on by the programme, became a full-time self-employed artist. Other members involved developed their confidence, skills and capacity to engage with arts and creativity. One developed a popular, creative youth club attracting “dozens of children weekly”, and another built a filmmaking portfolio.
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 Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024a) ‘People on universal credit: not in employment’. (Accessed 11 October 2024)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024b) ‘Jobseekers allowance’. (Accessed 11 October 2024)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019a) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. (Accessed 11 October 2024)
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) (2019b) ‘English Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2019 – Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI)’. (Accessed 30 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021 All persons’. (Accessed 7 October 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Country of Birth: Europe: EU Countries’. (Accessed 11 October 2024)
