Coastal Communities Challenge - Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe and Sutton on Sea
Key points
- The community was regularly engaged through weekly one-stop surgeries and a regular newsletter, helping the partnership to better understand the community’s needs.
- A well-attended shed initiative helped to reduce isolation among local men by providing a communal space for men to socialise and support one another.
- The partnership took a creative approach to making the environment more attractive and increasing community pride.
About the Big Local area
Three villages – Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe, and Sutton-on-Sea – formed the Coastal Communities Challenge Big Local. Once a thriving seaside resort, the area faced isolation after its train station closed in 1970, exacerbated by irregular bus services and roads in a state of disrepair. Combined with digital exclusion (GMCA, 2021), the partnership reflected that these issues contributed to feelings of isolation and loneliness among residents. Nonetheless, residents retained access to a beautiful beachfront and green spaces.
In 2021, 13,128 people lived in the Big Local area, with a notable proportion aged over 65 (ONS, 2022a; 2022b). 14 per cent of the population self-reported ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ health, exceeding regional and national averages (ONS, 2023). In 2020, the British Red Cross also highlighted especially high levels of vulnerability to Covid-19 (British Red Cross, 2020).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The Coastal Communities Challenge Big Local partnership’s initial vision was to enhance quality of life for residents. At the outset in 2014, they prioritised projects and activities across six themes: health and wellbeing, arts and heritage, the local environment, young people, community cohesion and safety, and employment and education. By 2017, these themes were streamlined to maintain effectiveness – a strategy that became even more necessary during the Covid-19 pandemic. Structurally, the partnership remained relatively stable, with a well-balanced representation of the three villages.
Gaining interest from the wider community proved challenging. A key challenge was the transient nature of the community, with much of the population living elsewhere outside the summer months, and many business owners not based in the area. However, the partnership hosted community surgeries twice a week to keep residents up to date with activities and established a communication subgroup that ran ChatBACK – a regular newsletter and accompanying website. The partnership also made significant efforts to involve young people, but the low proportion of under-16s in the area made this difficult (ONS, 2023c). Though, one young person became a partnership member.
Decisions were mainly made in full partnership meetings. These were initially open to all residents but were later stream-lined as partnership-only meetings, replaced with other methods for transparency and community feedback. Grant-making played a key role in how the partnership supported local initiatives. Partnership members developed an application process and supported local groups to apply, helping to build capacity. These grants often helped sustain community groups and centres at risk of closure, and decisions were made robustly with minutes published.
Volunteering from within the partnership played an important role in delivery, though it was demanding for partnership members. The partnership was supported and provided with additional capacity by the Lincolnshire Community Foundation (their locally trusted organisation) and a community growth officer (hired by their legacy organisation, the LN12 Community Interest Company).
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.
What the Big Local area did
Health and wellbeing
Reducing loneliness among local men through a shed initiative
Wanting to address social isolation among older men, the Coastal Communities Challenge partnership established a Men’s Shed initiative in 2016. The project was part of a UK network aimed at combating loneliness by providing spaces for people to socialise and seek mutual support.
Initially situated in a disused toilet block near the beach, the Mablethorpe Men’s Shed received Big Local funding to renovate a space that went on to operate six days a week. Its success eventually led to its expansion, relocating to larger premises by 2020 to accommodate a growing membership of 50 regular users.
Beyond serving as a social hub for activities and craftsmanship, the shed became a resource for community engagement, accepting requests from residents for bespoke projects. The shed itself hosted resources about health issues such as prostate cancer, depression, and suicide. They also worked with a local GP and other agencies to promote the shed to residents as a space to help improve general wellbeing through community support and activities (an approach known as social prescribing). The Mablethorpe Men’s Shed attained charitable status in 2021, demonstrating its impact and sustainability.
Community assets and spaces
Invested in community spaces to meet need for local services and activities
The partnership wanted to help residents avoid travelling elsewhere, by providing services and activities that had been lacking in the Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe, and Sutton-on-Sea area. Big Local funding was directed to several community spaces, including Mablethorpe Community Hall, Trusthorpe Village Hall, and the Merridale Centre. Funding contributed to the financial sustainability of these spaces by enhancing energy efficiency and facilities, and commissioning services and activities within them.
The newly renovated spaces met different local needs. The Merridale Centre and Mablethorpe Community Hall hosted Citizens Advice and multi-agency support services. Trusthorpe Village Hall benefited from the installation of a new kitchen and toilets, energy-efficient measures, a new ceiling, and new lighting systems. This made the space safe for community use, enabling it to host activities (such as cookery courses) and run as a warm space for residents during the cost of living crisis.
Developing an area of the seafront for residents and visitors
The partnership delivered several initiatives to enhance public spaces and foster engagement in the Coastal Communities Challenge Big Local community. One notable example was Shipwreck Gardens along Quebec Road in Mablethorpe, established in 2019 and maintained by partnership members and volunteers. The garden contained herbs for the community, a wildflower meadow, and ‘Happy to Chat’ benches. The partnership also allocated funds to support members of Mablethorpe Art Group to craft artworks for the wall of Quebec Road, complementing the gardens.
The partnership worked to create a Coastal Sculpture Trail along Mablethorpe beachfront – installing information boards and a stainless-steel ship sculpture. This substantial project involved navigating numerous hurdles (with support from their LTO), such as council permissions, risk assessments, and licensing requirements. The partnership expected the combined impact of the projects to bolster foot traffic and foster community pride.
Working collaboratively
Working with local groups and services to respond to diverse community needs
Collaboration was important to the Coastal Communities Challenge Big Local partnership’s approach to supporting their communities. The East Lindsey Advice Project, started in 2017, aimed to address residents’ financial difficulties, and reduce the need to access state support or travel 45 minutes outside the area for assistance. Big Local funding was initially used to pay self-employed advisors, and later Citizens Advice was commissioned to take over. Citizens Advice offered the partnership additional insights into community needs, guiding the focus of future Big Local funding. By the end of 2022, 550 clients in the Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea wards had received support.
The partnership took a collaborative approach to addressing urgent local housing need, with Big Local funding being allocated to a sustainable shelter. The partnership teamed up with Mablethorpe Christian Fellowship, a social action Evangelical church group, to provide robust support to people experiencing homelessness. A dedicated space and shelter, Hope House was initially funded by a Big Local grant, which supported it through its first six months. At Hope House, the church group identified specific needs among residents and worked with the partnership to address them. The collaboration led to a dedicated bus service to and from the hospital, and a support worker being funded to work with residents facing homelessness.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Providing long-term practical support to residents through a legacy organisation
Wanting to ensure ongoing availability of support for the Coastal Communities Challenge area, the partnership established a legacy organisation.
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, Big Local funding was quickly allocated to the Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea Foodbanks, making sure services could continue and expand. The partnership introduced the Covid-19 Recovery Grants Scheme, allowing them to extend support to more local groups. The partnership reflected that this scheme was gratefully received by the community.
From here, a new organisation emerged as a legacy body for the partnership – the LN12 Community Interest Company (LN12 CIC). Operating as a not-for-profit social enterprise, it was established to address ongoing community needs in the face of ongoing crises. It worked to enhance residents’ lives through services, opportunities, and employment prospects – from practical support with everyday living to assisting with digital inclusion, education, employment, and long-term access to healthcare.
Seed funding was provided to establish LN12 CIC as separate but complementary to Big Local. In 2022, the partnership employed a Growth Officer to take the new organisation forward. Among the many outcomes of these efforts, the partnership supported the development of the Winter Warmth Scheme, which provided practical support for 37 residents in 2022.
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 Coastal Communities Challenge Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
British Red Cross (2020) ‘COVID-19 Vulnerability Index’. (Accessed on 5 December 2024)
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) (2021) ‘Digital Exclusion Risk Index: DERI score’. (Accessed 5 December 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: total population’. (Accessed on 5 December 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Aged 65 years and over’. (Accessed 5 December 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: Self-reported general health: bad health/very bad health’. (Accessed 5 December 2024)