Leigh is a small industrial town close to Wigan. The Leigh West Big Local area included a population of around 3,000 people (ONS, 2022), and comprised of mostly residential housing with a few retail and business areas (Railway Road and Leigh Road). A significant number of properties were rented from private landlords – more than double the average in North West England (ONS, 2023 – with the value of houses for sale being significantly lower than the regional average (Land Registry, 2024)).
At the time of Big Local, a paved civic square was surrounded by the town hall, parish church and public library. The community felt the area lacked significant public green and recreational spaces. Compared to regional figures, fewer people in the area reported being physically active (Sport England, 2023). In 2020, life expectancy for both men and women in the Leigh area was below the national average (OHID, 2022a; 2022b). Among other areas of civic pride, Leigh residents were proud of the town’s Rugby League successes.
The Leigh West Big Local partnership developed out of a pre-existing group, the Leigh Neighbours Project. This group received funding to support community relations and cohesion between 2009 and 2011, before Big Local was launched.
Throughout Big Local, the partnership consulted the community to understand local issues and concerns and encourage residents to have their say. Early on, they commissioned a participatory, hands-on consultation method known as Planning for Real. This used a 3D model of the area, made by a local school, and invited residents to show how they felt the area could be improved and suggest ways to address specific problems. Over 2,500 suggestions were received from more than 750 people.
This consultation informed the partnership’s first plan with several clear priorities: improving the local environment; creating more work opportunities, particularly for young people; better housing conditions; and stronger community spirit. Although these priorities remained broadly consistent, the partnership were flexible in their approach, reflecting on what the community was experiencing and responded to it as needed, rather than always sticking to the plan.
The partnership had a resident-majority board that included representatives from local schools, elected councillors, and active community members. The partnership recognised their broader role in the community as one of example-setting, by encouraging people to come together and practice collective decision-making. The board was supported by a small staff team, alongside freelance workers who contributed specialist skills. The partnership found that using freelance workers gave them flexibility and was a cost-effective way to access expertise when needed.
The Leigh West Big Local partnership was skilled at working collaboratively, building strong relationships with Wigan Council, local schools, and organisations to deliver projects. Over time, this helped the partnership strengthen their reputation, which was reflected in high levels of community engagement and a steady flow of volunteers. The partnership also became a key consultation collaborator for council-led initiatives. Partnership members felt they gained new skills through their involvement in Big Local, such as chairing meetings and understanding good governance, which in turn increased their confidence.
Alongside delivering projects directly, the partnership supported resident leadership through grants. A Residents’ Fund offered small grants (up to £500) for projects aligned with the partnership’s priorities, while a larger, open grants scheme was available for projects that contributed to wider outcomes.
The partnership faced challenges in maintaining engagement at times, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic, when participation dropped as people spent more time at home. Reflecting on this, they recognised that past engagement had been strongest around community arts projects, public celebrations, and collaborative working, and used this learning to shape their approach.
Leigh West was one of the first Big Local partnerships to establish their own Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Leigh Neighbours Project, which was set up in 2015 to act as the partnership’s Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO). Leigh Neighbours Project continued to operate once Big Local funding had been spent, sustaining projects and providing grants to the community. The partnership also saw their legacy as the physical improvements made in the area (like improved housing and green spaces), and the relationships built between residents and organisations. They felt that the area had become a better place to live, and that the skills and confidence developed by partnership members would continue to support community-led work 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.
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.
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.
Responding to poor local rental conditions, Big Local funding was used to purchase two houses through the Leigh Neighbours Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The CIO was set up to purchase the houses, as the organisation that would host the community work beyond Big Local and continue to apply for and attract funding. Trustees were mainly drawn from the existing Leigh West Big Local partnership, with a few volunteers from the community, including a local café owner.
The houses were refurbished to a high standard, promoting good practice to private landlords, and providing Leigh West Big Local with a rental income for developing community projects in the long-term.
Leigh Neighbours CIO used the Council’s Ethical Letting Agency to let the houses. It managed both properties and sets of tenants. The properties were let below market rate, common agent fees were scrapped, and repair and maintenance were all included in the rent. Partnership members and CIO trustees felt the Ethical Letting Agency’s ethos (to settle tenants in local properties for as long as possible, with five-year leases available) aligned with their own, and believed this would support community stability, spirit and neighbourliness.
More generally, the partnership worked with the local Council to see the appointment of a Tenants’ Champion to support residents with housing issues in the community. This involved encouraging residents to report issues with properties in the neighbourhood to Leigh Neighbours CIO through a postcard. The Tenants’ Champion then collated their responses and shared them with officers in the Council’s Housing Section to identify improvements that could be made.
Through consultation, residents of the Leigh West Big Local area expressed a desire for improvements to the local environment and transformation of under-used spaces.
The partnership worked with Wigan Council to influence local improvements. This included advocating for additional lighting in alleyways and the installation of CCTV cameras to improve safety, and contributing to the Council’s Active Travel proposal to make streets safer and easier to access for walking and cycling. The partnership also encouraged residents to take part in regeneration discussions by sharing information about consultations.
Alongside their influencing work, the partnership delivered projects that enabled residents to take part in greening and improving their neighbourhood. One of their main projects was transforming unused land (which residents had identified as an eyesore) into a well-loved community garden. With permission from the Council, the partnership worked with volunteers to tidy and plant the space. It became a centrepiece in the community and was used as a base for events and other environmental activities, like workshops to create hanging baskets for residents without gardens.
Big Local funding was also invested in sprucing up local streets through planting projects inspired by Incredible Edible – an urban gardening initiative dedicated to turning unused land into growing space. For example, a community allotment was created by two partnership members on unused land at the back of a car park. With the help of volunteers, the space was cleared and brightly painted tyre planters and raised beds were installed, where crops like onions and garlic were grown and shared with the community. A large planter, featuring artwork designed by local schoolchildren, was also installed on a street corner, providing more growing space.
Alongside improving the appearance of the area, partnership members felt that engaging residents in these environmental activities brought families together in new ways, increased local pride, and created opportunities for residents to learn new skills.
The Leigh West Big Local partnership used creative projects to make positive changes to the local environment and build pride and connection between residents. One of their earliest initiatives was Our Art Neighbourhood, which employed a local artist to work with residents to run creative workshops and create a variety of public artworks. These included a digital art summer school for children, graffiti workshops for young people, and ‘yarn bombing’ activities with both adults and young people. The artist also worked with residents to create two billboards featuring local art, and used an empty property as a temporary exhibition space. In the first year, 300 people took part in workshops and many more were able to enjoy the results as streets became places to celebrate local creativity and history. Alongside Big Local funding, this project was funded by Arts Council England and received in-kind contributions from local partners, including the Council and local businesses.
The partnership continued to work with the same artist on public art projects, including ‘bollard art’ created with local schoolchildren. Designs were inspired by archive photographs and local landmarks, resulting in colourful vinyl wraps in six locations across the area, brightening up streets while celebrating local heritage. In 2020, the artist returned to create a ‘wall of fame’ on a prominent brick wall, honouring people from Leigh who had made an impact in sport, music, science, art, literature, entertainment, or public service. Local children helped draw designs for the plaques, inspired by archive materials. The installation was unveiled at a public event in 2021, featuring 14 plaques.
The partnership also ran a Butterfly Campaign, featuring butterflies of all shapes and sizes crafted by residents. The campaign emerged during the third Covid-19 lockdown, when the partnership recognised that many residents were struggling during the winter months. They promoted the campaign on social media, using the butterfly as a symbol of hope and renewal. With guidance from the partnership, residents of all ages contributed by creating butterflies using a wide range of materials, from colouring templates and knitting patterns to recycled crafts and salt dough ornaments. This prompted residents to share photos, poems, and stories online, which helped build connection despite lockdown restrictions. The campaign gained a lot of traction locally, helping to lift spirits during a challenging time.
Through community consultation and their own knowledge of the community, the partnership was aware of tensions between long-term and newer residents, with incidents of racially motivated behaviour highlighting challenges around community cohesion. The Leigh West partnership reported that some long-term residents expressed frustration, as they felt new residents were offered opportunities that long-term residents had not been offered.
Following reports of building racial tensions on one street, the partnership brought in the Peace Centre (a foundation based in Warrington, Cheshire) to conduct community mediation, supporting residents to find ways to live alongside each other more harmoniously. The partnership supported this work by introducing neighbours, hosting coffee mornings, facilitating consultation in different venues, and publicising events and activities. The partnership felt this area of their work significantly improved community relations.
Supporting children and young people was a cross-cutting theme in Leigh West Big Local, engaging young people in consultation, art, and gardening projects. The partnership also supported children and young people directly by delivering support through local schools.
Working with local primary school leaders, Big Local funding was allocated for two play therapists and sensory workers to help improve children’s mental health and wellbeing in two local schools. The Big Local partnership felt the additional support, which brought in expertise to help over 30 children, made a significant difference to the lives of children and their families. Additional funding was sought by the two schools to continue the support beyond Big Local.
The partnership also supported a summer school for children who qualified for free school meals. The summer school aimed to refresh children’s reading, writing, and maths skills before the start of the new school year, alongside educational trips. The school approached the partnership as they identified local children who didn’t qualify for a place, but could benefit from attending the summer school. The partnership agreed to sponsor 20 children to attend the summer school, and continued to do this each year for the rest of the Big Local programme. The partnership felt that the programme improved general educational attainment and school attendance post-holiday, when re-engagement often proved challenging after a six-week break. The diverse programme of trips and activities was also considered to have increased children’s aspirations.
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 Leigh West Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Land Registry (2024) ‘Average House Price’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/price-paid-data-downloads (Accessed 11 October 2024)
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) (2022a) ‘Life expectancy at birth for males’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/local-health-august-2022-update (Accessed 30 October 2024)
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) (2022b) ‘Life expectancy at birth for females’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/local-health-august-2022-update (Accessed 30 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 11 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Private rented housing: Private landlord or letting agency’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 11 October 2024)
Sport England (2023) ‘Active Lives survey: adult small area estimates Nov 21–22’. Available at: sportengland.org/research-and-data/data/active-lives/active-lives-data-tables#november-2021–22-32461 (Accessed 5 November 2024)
