Latch Ford
Key points
- Latch Ford Big Local created opportunities for existing groups to work better together and connected residents through annual community festivals.
- Working closely with the council, the partnership improved public places so more local people could access and enjoy them, including painting underpasses, improving Westy Park and renovating local community centres.
- By investing in a youth worker, they increased opportunities for young people to be physically active and have a voice in the design of services within the area.
About the Big Local area
Located about a mile south-east of Warrington town centre, the Latch Ford Big Local area covered most of Latchford East ward. It also included the 67-acre Victoria Park, with its wide range of sports facilities used by people from across Warrington. Latchford is bordered to the north by the River Mersey and to the south by the Manchester Ship Canal. The boundaries and name of the Big Local area caused some confusion for local people initially as it did not include the majority of Latchford ward.
The area’s population of 8,200 residents (ONS, 2022) was served by four schools, four nurseries, social clubs, a doctor’s surgery, and small businesses and shops. Two community centres – St Margaret’s Community Hub and Westy Community Centre – became the venues for many of the partnership’s projects and activities. Helped by these amenities, the partnership described the area as a close-knit community: multiple generations of families remained in the area and the partnership felt that neighbours looked out for each other.
The local population was mostly white, with 85 per cent identifying as white British and 8 per cent identifying as white from non-British groups (ONS, 2023a; 2023b). Housing was a mix of terraced and semi-detached developments dating back to the early 20th century. Nearly half of households in the area fell into the lowest two deciles of the indices of multiple deprivation (MHCLG, 2019).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The partnership drew members from the local community and existing groups such as Latchford East Community and Residents Association (LECRA). They connected strongly with Warrington Council – some members, including the chair, were councillors. The partnership benefitted from this connectedness with the council, but also with local schools and businesses by collaborating to implement projects, recruit volunteers and bring in additional external funding.
Latch Ford Big Local’s priorities were developed through consultation with residents at events, via its Facebook page and through the ongoing personal connection of partnership members with the wider community. They focused on: strengthening community health and wellbeing; supporting young people to realise their potential; and increasing local people’s confidence and control of their financial situation. While the partnership was responsible for oversight and strategy to achieve these priorities, a lot of projects and initiatives were driven by working groups that included other residents and community groups.
Every year, the partnership held a review of its plan, which included all the working groups. Participants reflected on what they had achieved over the previous year, and adapted plans based on feedback collected from their community events. The partnership also connected with the wider Big Local programme – sharing learning on how they improved the local park, and picking up new ideas from other areas.
Though the Covid-19 pandemic stalled some projects due to lockdowns and the need for social distancing, it resulted in a huge emergency response from Latch Ford Big Local volunteers. They worked with local partners to supply food parcels and meals to residents, which raised Latch Ford Big Local’s profile in the community, and increased volunteer recruitment to groups and activities that it supported.
Partnership members were resilient to changes over the ten years of the programme. They negotiated challenging times with a change in their Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO), and adapted their plans after struggling to secure a long-term lease at the community hub.
Two workers supported delivery of Big Local’s projects and the work of the partnership. Though personnel changed, their role included implementing project ideas, managing the partnership’s grant scheme for individuals and groups, and helping the partnership to plan and reflect on priorities. The workers provided a strong foundation for the partnership to take forward its ideas.
Though the partnership did not see a role for itself beyond the end of Big Local, they hoped that well-developed relationships with LECRA, and groups in the Westy Community Centre, would sustain activities and resident voice in the area. They encouraged local groups to be self-reliant and able to raise funds for themselves beyond Big Local, by increasing awareness of other available funding. Members also saw their investment and improvements to community assets, such as the St Margaret’s Community Hub, Westy Park and pedestrian underpasses, as positive legacies.
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.
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
Place-based pride and connection
Bringing the community together with community festivals
Following their first event in 2015, Latch Ford Big Local’s community festivals became a focal point for residents to connect and celebrate. Hundreds of people attended these events, which drew support from local businesses and community groups. Later festivals provided a range of fun activities for all ages from face painting to fairground rides, sand art to circus skills and local radio coverage.
From its initial inclusion as part of the festival, the Latchford duck race on the River Mersey became a flagship event, bringing people together within and beyond the Big Local area to watch rubber ducks race downstream. This also raised funds for local, community projects. The reach and appeal of the race grew, and it became known as the Great Warrington Duck Race in 2024.
Investing in young people
Growing youth voice and participation in sports
From the outset, community consultation established the need for engaging youth activities and increasing the voice of young people in local services. In response, Latch Ford Big Local funded a youth worker to develop both a youth club for the area and the Youth Voice programme. It aimed to ensure young people in the community played an active role in the development of services in Latchford, through consultation and participation at events and activities. This included a community cinema project.
Latch Ford Big Local’s work in support of young people also extended to providing funding and bursaries: over 40 young people accessed health and sport activities through a bursary fund, while a small grants hardship fund allowed young people to buy equipment and take part in sports activities – for example, football boots to join a local team. Funding other community organisations in the area increased their capacity to run projects, engaging young people and families while connecting with Latch Ford Big Local’s wider priority of encouraging healthy living. This included ‘Active Families’ and ‘This Girl Can’ projects.
Community assets and spaces
Creating more accessible community spaces
Following an audit of the accessibility of, and gaps in, community spaces in the area, Latch Ford Big Local deliberately increased the capacity and quality of existing community assets and the Westy Park area adjacent to Westy Community Centre.
Initially Big Local workers and activities were based in St Margaret’s Community Hub. The partnership invested in improving its kitchen and café, expanded its capacity for community events and created a space that was more easily accessed by community groups.
A long-term lease at St Margaret’s could not be secured, so the partnership moved their base to Westy Community Centre. Though less centrally located within the Big Local area, it was surrounded by parkland which had been improved in collaboration with Warrington Borough Council and utilising Big Local funds. Latch Ford Big Local invested £40,000, which enabled them to lever in £400,000 investment from the council through their positive working relationship. Improvements to the park included better paths, cycleways, sports pitches, lighting and CCTV.
In the final years of Big Local, the Westy Centre played a central role in hosting the groups and activities working towards the partnership’s broader aims, in particular mental health, connection with each other and sense of wellbeing. Activities such as ‘Mindful Monday’, ‘Paint with Paul’, and ‘Cuppa Café’ sessions brought a range of residents together to learn new creative skills. The partnership felt that this combination of improving the centre, making it safer, and promoting a range of activities resulted in more local people using it.
Making underpasses safer by celebrating local heritage
Pedestrian underpasses were felt to be in a poor state, and residents didn’t feel safe enough to walk through them to the shops in Latchford village. So the partnership commissioned an artist to repaint and decorate a pedestrian tunnel with an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme.
Building on this, they later commissioned a former local resident and artist to create a mural in another underpass at the entry to the village. Entitled ‘Latchford Through the Ages’, it captured positive aspects of life in Latchford through a series of stencils. Both artworks depended on strong working relationships with the council and engagement with the local community to develop ideas for the design. Partnership members felt that these initiatives made the area more attractive, welcoming and safer for people to explore on foot.
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 Latch Ford Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) ‘English Indices of Deprivation: Index of Multiple Deprivation’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: Irish, Gypsy/Irish Traveller, Roma or Other White’. (Accessed 8 January 2025)