Kirkholt
Key points
- By highlighting the Kirkholt community’s strengths, the partnership encouraged the council and housing providers to refocus on the area’s needs.
- Kirkholt Million Big Local developed a green space and created employment and training opportunities, resulting in qualifications and new jobs for residents and revived local pride in the area.
- Improved public amenities – including a skate park and play areas, and a new community hub – were left as legacy community assets.
About the Big Local area
Kirkholt Million Big Local covered an area at the southern edge of Rochdale, characterised by green spaces and dominated by the large Kirkholt 1940s estate. Housing was mainly semi-detached or terraced homes with 48 per cent social rented homes, 38 per cent owner-occupied and 13 per cent privately rented (ONS, 2023a; 2023b; 2023c).
Faced with social and economic challenges including a decline in local industry and a loss of community spaces, the area ranked among the highest in England for deprivation (MHCLG, 2019). During the Big Local programme, major development work saw new housing, a health centre and the redevelopment of a community centre. This building programme followed on from the community’s disappointment in 2011, when a previous regeneration scheme was cancelled.
The area had a population of around 7,500 (ONS, 2022a), and a much higher proportion of children and young people under 16 (27 per cent) compared with the rest of the north-west of England (ONS, 2022b). 28 per cent of people aged over 16 had no qualifications, higher than the average for the north-west of England (ONS, 2023d).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The partnership’s vision was that ‘Kirkholt would be a place with a strong sense of community and an attractive image in the borough [Rochdale]’. They prioritised improving community assets and making them accessible and affordable to local people so that families would feel valued, healthier and better able to enjoy their lives.
Kirkholt Million Big Local had a small, stable partnership with an average of 10 members. Rochdale Borough Council, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing and Groundwork were members of the partnership and key partners in their activities. Ongoing support from a paid Big Local worker added to the partnership’s stability.
The partnership changed its Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) twice. First, the local housing association was felt to be better placed sitting on the partnership; then the Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) went into administration. Mid-way through the programme, Kirkholt Million Big Local selected its third LTO, The Big Life Group, attracted by the values they had in common – being willing to be challenged and supporting residents to drive change.
From 2006, Kirkholt was part of the government’s Housing Market Renewal Programme which involved extensive consultation and was expected to lead to new housing and amenities. It was terminated in 2011, leaving the area without the promised changes and disillusioned with consultation. The Big Local partnership worked hard to rebuild community trust and engagement after this experience. They did this by offering residents different ways to join in, from market days and food festivals to roller skating and socials; and by seeking help from existing community groups, schools, churches and businesses.
Working collaboratively, the partnership made progress by strengthening its assets – people and places – and building on success. By drawing positive attention to the area, they helped the council and housing providers see what could be achieved. The partnership accessed support to bring in the skills that they didn’t have, such as help with business planning when Kirkholt Million Big Local was offered a lease for a community hub.
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.
What the Big Local area did
Local economy
Creating employment and training opportunities for local people
Kirkholt Million Big Local worked in partnership with Groundwork, a charity specialising in supporting communities to create a green future. Groundwork delivered training related to the local environment, which resulted in qualifications and new jobs for local people. There were two main projects.
The Building Skills project was a six-week construction course for residents over 16 to improve skills, confidence and experience through an accredited course and work experience. The first time the course ran eleven residents took part, and seven of them progressed into employment. The course was then repeated the following year due to its success.
Three local people were recruited and trained by Groundwork to become Kirkholt Rangers. These paid workers supported Big Local’s environmental improvement initiative, the Rhodes Ravine project. Supported by Groundwork’s experienced landscapers, members of the team acquired skills and confidence. They received training in horticulture, construction and countryside skills which led to qualifications and further employment prospects.
A key lesson from these projects was the importance of having a partner, Groundwork, that was closely involved with the partnership and committed to its wider vision.
Community assets and spaces
Transforming a green space for the community
The Rhodes Ravine Project transformed a large abandoned and unsafe green space at the heart of the Kirkholt community into a well-used and safe environment.
Kirkholt Million Big Local’s aim was for every resident to have access to the space. The result was a place that residents regarded as theirs; and that gave the partnership credibility, visibility and evidence of tangible impact. To make the area more accessible, the team connected it to an existing park, creating a crushed stone path to an attractive part of the ravine. Estate rangers also carefully cleared and expanded the ravine itself.
Two years after completion, the space continued to be well-used by community and walking groups, and had been kept litter-free by the local Scouts and football team. It won the Big Life award for “Best Green Initiative” and the RHS “Britain in Bloom” award two years running. The partnership drew on their relationship with Rochdale Borough Housing to secure their commitment to the ravine’s ongoing maintenance.
Leaving a legacy of community amenities
A lack of accessible and affordable community space became an issue in Kirkholt when the old community centre was demolished just before Big Local began. Although it took a decade to find a suitable opportunity to create a new community hub, the partnership found other ways to help increase available community space in the meantime.
Mid-way through the programme, a new community centre replaced the one that had been demolished but its opening hours were too restricted to be suitable as a community hub and home for the partnership. Kirkholt Million Big Local helped fund the centre’s equipment and community café, and invested in other amenities including a skate park and play areas. Towards the end of the Big Local programme, the partnership allocated funds to a pump track next to the skate park and play areas, collectively forming a key part of their legacy in the area.
Alongside this, the partnership ran a scheme for four years which funded rent subsidies of 50% for up to 13 weeks, to help groups hire indoor venues or pitches for their existing activities in the area. During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, this scheme helped keep venues open and community groups operating.
However, the partnership continued to feel the lack of a community hub. So, they also submitted an expression of interest to manage a new community space being planned by the council as part of an extension to the local library. Five years later, in 2023, the partnership was offered the lease on the library extension, which later became known as The Hive and provided a community café and events space. This was felt to be a vote of confidence in the partnership and council commitment to secure their future.
At the end of the programme, there were more community amenities in the Kirkholt Million Big Local area than at the start. The partnership achieved this through grants, collaboration and its rent subsidy scheme. Key enablers were felt to be collaborative working, having help with business planning, and persistence.
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 Kirkholt Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Population aged under 16’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Owner occupied housing’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Private rented housing: Private landlord or letting agency or Other’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023d) ‘UK Census 2021: Highest level of qualification: No qualifications’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)