Podsmead

Supporting planning and unlocking funding for a new community sports hub

The partnership, residents and community organisations in Podsmead identified a longstanding need for a local community sports facility, to improve health and wellbeing, and employment opportunities.

In 2017, Big Local funding was provided to Active Gloucestershire to consult residents on the development of Blackbridge Field (a large, underused green space). Through this exercise, the specification and concept drawings for a sports hub were developed. Big Local funding was also allocated to a flood alleviation report on the site. These small investments enabled a new sports hub to move from a concept to reality. As a result, the lead organisation, Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society (BCCBS), was able to secure significant further investment from local and national stakeholders, including the NHS, Gloucester City Homes, and Sport England. This totalled an investment of £6.3 million into the community.

Planning permission was secured in 2023, and the Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub opened two years later. Managed in partnership with Freedom Leisure (a not-for-profit leisure trust), it included a fitness gym, hireable space, a 3G sports pitch, and studio spaces for dance, yoga, and Pilates. It was also home to the new BCCBS youth team, running weekly sessions for young people and providing informal support for those not in employment, education, or training. 

Regenerating Podsmead Hub and café to nurture connections and skills

The Podsmead Hub in Scott Avenue was a focal point for community activities in the area. It provided a friendly space for residents to meet, share experiences and gain new skills, and hosted the partnership’s workers. The property was owned by Gloucester City Homes and gifted rent-free to the partnership at the start of Big Local.

To expand the hub, Podsmead Big Local, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, GL Communities, and the council jointly funded the conversion of a ground floor area into a café, with meeting rooms and offices upstairs. Following this investment and hard work by volunteers, the Melting Pot Community Café successfully ran for two years. As well as providing refreshments, the café was a meeting space used by several organisations to provide support for the community. 

As it became embedded in the area, the hub became a venue for training and development in food hygiene and café management skills with funding from Big Local. Towards the end of the programme, the partnership successfully raised external funds to employ an Employment, Skills, Learning and Project Co-ordinator to strengthen the training and development offer. When Big Local came to an end, the hub became a much-needed community pharmacy.

Creating safe, outdoor facilities for children and young people

During the programme, Big Local funding was invested in local play facilities for children and young people in the Podsmead area. As well as upgrading the play park in Scott Avenue, the partnership helped create new play areas. Early in the programme, residents petitioned for a play park in Tuffley Park, collecting over 60 signatures. The partnership collaborated with residents and Gloucester City Council to design and build the park. Feedback from residents helped to design an enclosed wooden play area, which included a range of equipment. 

Following the investment of £78,000 in Big Local funding, Tuffley Play Park opened in 2017. The partnership saw the play park as a lasting community asset for families and a safe play area for a growing number of children in Podsmead and surrounding communities. The council agreed to take ownership of and provide care and maintenance for the park once it was installed.

Supporting free access to adventure play across Podsmead

Midway through the Big Local programme, the partnership commissioned Play Gloucestershire to deliver free outdoor play in Podsmead. Activities took place after school and during holidays, and were community and school-based, linking Grange, Linden, and Tuffley primary schools. Staff – called Play Rangers – delivered the outdoor play and adventurous activities with support from resident volunteers. 

The activities were easy to access, just a short walk or bike ride from where children lived, so children did not need to rely on adults providing money or transport to take part. Customised vans transported play equipment so children could take part in informal sports, art activities, den-building, and games like tag and water fights.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Play Gloucestershire adapted how they engaged with young people, with Stepping Out (an initiative where they could walk, talk, and play with young people safely outside) and Virtual Play Rangers online. During this time, Play Gloucestershire provided 32 play sessions and two Stepping Out sessions. 

Although all ages and abilities played together (from toddlers to teenagers to grandparents), the partnership felt that these free activities specifically helped young people to build confidence, skills, and friendships.

Engaging with young people around Podsmead

Prior to the start of Big Local, a youth club was set up at The Ramblers to provide a safe space for young people to socialise and take part in organised activities. The partnership began supporting the club early on, to help build its capacity and increase its engagement with local young people. Towards the end of Big Local, in 2023, Big Local funding was used to employ a youth worker who supported young people one evening a week at the youth club. Their role also included engaging and supporting young residents out on the Podsmead estate, connecting them to activities of interest, and inviting them to the youth club. 

Young people decided what activities took place in the youth club, and a group successfully bid to the Podsmead Big Local partnership for funding towards new equipment and a trip to the pantomime with their families. At the end of the Big Local programme, the youth club moved to their new home at the Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub, and were funded by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, a community development charity supporting Podsmead and surrounding communities. 

Bringing residents together through community activities and events

Over the years, the partnership supported and organised a range of community events and activities to bring Podsmead residents together and foster connection. These included family fun days, open air cinemas, sewing groups, community lunches, and festive events. The partnership felt this activity had helped strengthen community bonds and bring residents together. 

As well as community events, the partnership supported creative events, including a weekend-long art event, with artwork celebrating local people, resident stories, and a trail between valued community organisations, including the Podsmead Hub.

Creating a conservation area to engage residents in nature

One of the largest investments of Big Local funding in the Podsmead area was in the green space in Milton Avenue. The partnership worked with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the community, turning the green space into a conservation area that could provide wellbeing benefits to residents. Improvements included new paths and wild play features, a pond viewing area, and a bridge. The partnership held activities such as family fun events and a community Bioblitz day to record sightings of different wildlife. Residents learnt about local wildlife through night walks, bug hunts, and volunteer days, which resulted in a regular volunteer group maintaining the area. 

The partnership also created a community board, helping residents to connect with other green spaces around Podsmead. Responding to community feedback and ideas about how to make the conservation area more accessible for wheelchair users and buggies, flat paths were created and play park equipment was upgraded, including a wheelchair accessible roundabout. Further investments were also made in an outdoor green gym, supporting residents to improve their physical fitness.