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 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.
A core partnership board was responsible for oversight and strategy to achieve these priorities, while a lot of projects and initiatives were driven by subgroups that included other residents and community groups. Each subgroup had a resident lead and was given a dedicated budget. They met monthly, prior to partnership meetings, which were then used to report on progress and address more strategic issues. Working in this way supported more residents to take the lead and get involved with delivery, without having to be a formal member of the board.
Two workers supported delivery of Latch Ford Big Local projects. 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. Many of their volunteers also had specialist skills in youth engagement, project evaluation, and governance. The partnership supported volunteers’ development further by providing training opportunities and peer to peer mentoring.
Every year, the partnership held a review of its plan, which included all the subgroups. 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 other Big Local areas through events hosted by Local Trust – sharing learning on how they improved the local park, and picking up new ideas.
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.
The partnership did not see a role for itself beyond the end of Big Local; there were already several organisations operating in the area and the partnership did not want to duplicate or be in competition with other longstanding groups. They saw their legacy as the connections that had been built between these groups as a result 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. By increasing awareness of other available funding, they also supported local groups to be self-reliant and raise funds for themselves beyond Big Local. In addition to new networks and capacity building, partnership members also saw their investment in community assets, such as the St Margaret’s Community Hub, Westy Park and pedestrian underpasses, as positive, lasting legacies for residents to enjoy in the future.
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
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.
However, 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, cycle ways, three new sports pitches (two full-size and one training), new outdoor gym facilities, lighting and CCTV. As a result of these improvements, the park then met the standards required for use for league football, sports, and other activities. Residents also reported that the works made the park feel safer. A ‘Grand Reopening’ was held in 2019, which was attended by Friends of Westy Park and the Mayor of Warrington.
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.
One of the partnership’s final projects was funding a ‘facelift’ for Westy Community Centre. With match funding from Warrington Borough Council, the centre was fitted with a new kitchen, fresh paint, new flooring in the main hall, and new energy efficient lighting. The partnership saw this as a long-term legacy for the community, supporting the ongoing use of an essential and well-loved community space.
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.
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. Of these, the annual Latchford festival was particularly popular with residents. During this week-long event, residents could take part in free classes, events, and ‘give it a go’ sessions, ranging from an outdoor cinema, family fitness sessions, fairground games, picnic, acting classes, and hurling.
The festival was supported by around ten local groups and many volunteers, who delivered activities, provided venues, supported coordination, and consulted the community. Many of the events were run from Westy Park and Community Centre, as well as in local schools.
From its initial inclusion as part of the festival, the Latchford duck race on the River Mersey became a flagship, standalone event, bringing people together within and beyond the Big Local area to watch 1,000 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, running again in 2025 once the Big Local programme had ended.
Latchford Festival attracted up to 400 residents at a time, strengthening community connections, providing free, fun activities for residents of all ages, and building local pride and belonging.
Investing in young people
Growing youth voice and participation in sports
Early community consultation showed that young people wanted to be in charge of decision-making and activities. A few years later, after taking part in some Local Trust training, the partnership felt they were yet to make progress on building a ‘youth voice’. In response, Latch Ford Big Local funded a youth worker to develop both a youth club for the area and the Youth Voice programme.
The Youth Voice programme gave a group of young people a dedicated budget and control over how this was spent to support young people and families in their area. 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.
Through this work, the Youth Voice group ran regular activities and events including a popular family bingo event, craft sessions, cooking, litter picks, family trips, and a community cinema. They also ran a café for other young people and families to attend. Toasties and soft drinks were served and local organisations ran skills sessions, such as sign language and hurling. Through this group, a safe space was created for young people to come together, develop their own ideas, and try new things.
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.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Creating a consistent programme of support for residents
One of the partnership’s key priorities was to support the financial health and wellbeing of residents. As needs changed in the community, the partnership expanded their health and wellbeing projects to include food provision too, particularly to support residents through the Covid-19 pandemic and rising cost of living.
Led by the financial wellbeing subgroup, Latch Ford Big Local coordinated a range of services designed to support residents’ finances. This included resident advice days at Westy Community Centre, focusing on employment, skills development, raising awareness about loan sharks, and financial management. They also partnered with the local credit union to deliver money skills workshops, providing residents with 1–1 support focused on reducing household bills, as well as 1–1 debt advice delivered by local partners, including Citizens Advice and Christians Against Poverty. Through this work, over £50,000 was loaned to the community via the credit union, £23,000 was saved through debt advice (with an average household saving of £285), and 19 residents successfully accessed benefits they were entitled to.
In addition to financial support, the partnership organised a range of emergency food support including a community fridge, community meals, and food parcels. A weekly luncheon club was run from St Margaret’s Community Hub, where residents could get a low-cost two-course meal and a pot of tea or coffee. As part of the luncheon club, 960 meals were prepared, providing residents with an opportunity to socialise as well as get a hot meal.
Food provision was scaled up and adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The partnership were quick to respond and, thanks to a surge in volunteers, worked in partnership with local businesses to supply emergency food parcels and meals to residents. The partnership were proud to be some of the first responders locally, and this helped boost their reputation and increased volunteer recruitment to groups and activities that they supported.
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’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 (Accessed 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 8 January 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 8 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: Irish, Gypsy/Irish Traveller, Roma or Other White’. Available at:
ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 8 January 2025)