Sompting
Key points
- Sompting Big Local improved parks and open spaces to provide safe, welcoming and accessible facilities for children and families.
- A self-sustaining transport service was developed, that enabled isolated residents to access community facilities and events.
- By opening the Sompting Big Local Hub and hosting community events, more opportunities were created for residents to meet and connect.
About the Big Local area
The Sompting Big Local area was defined by the boundary of the Civil Parish of Sompting, a village in West Sussex, on the south coast of England. The majority of residents lived in the southern tip of the area, where most community assets and transport links were also located, while the beautiful rolling hills and ancient woodlands of South Downs National Park stretched across the northern section. The A27 trunk road created a barrier between the two, isolating residents in the north, who had limited access to public transport and community facilities.
In 2021 a quarter of the population of 8,888 (ONS, 2022) were over the age of 65 years, six percentage points above the England average (ONS, 2023a), while a similar proportion of residents had no qualifications (ONS, 2023b). Although residents had access to schools, public parks, a village hall and a children and family centre, the area had lower than the national average levels of community participation (based on voter turnout in local elections, self-reported volunteering levels, registered local charities and levels of grant funding) (OCSI, 2023).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
Sompting Big LocaI had on average eight partnership members, many of whom were, like a large proportion of residents, over 65. A few years into Big Local, when the original chair stood down, members decided to take turns chairing monthly meetings. In the process, they developed new skills in working collaboratively and took on collective responsibility for decision-making. In the same year, the partnership recruited a worker responsible for community engagement, who stayed in the role throughout the remainder of the programme.
To find out what the community thought of the village and what they wanted for the future, in 2013 Sompting Big Local consulted residents during a launch event, and by attending existing community activities. Resident responses led Sompting Big Local to define their vision for Sompting as “a more united, healthier community”. Their priority focus areas were community facilities that met residents’ needs, improving parks and open spaces, creating opportunities for young people and organising accessible activities and events.
Early in the programme, the partnership secured a community hub to serve as a base for Big Local activities and events. Recognising that members did not always have capacity or expertise to do everything they wanted, the partnership worked with external advisors as needed and commissioned key services from experienced providers.
They built relationships with community organisations to extend their reach and, over time supported these groups via a small grant scheme – known locally as the ‘Action Fund’. The partnership created the scheme to put power and funding into the hands of local people to try out their ideas. Whether it was a small event to bring neighbours together, tackle loneliness, or improve open spaces, the partnership supported ideas shaped by residents, reflecting that they were rooted in what mattered most to the community.
Small grant recipients included a project that encouraged reading, a school allotment club, a weekly ‘club in a pub’ for older people and a ten-week early-intervention counselling group designed to build mental-health resilience in new mums experiencing or at risk of postnatal depression and anxiety. Though the partnership initially had no way of tracking the impact of these grants, they later implemented an online system where grant recipients could report on expenditure and impact. This showed that, for instance, participants in the counselling group felt they had a safe space in which to talk and felt less isolated. The partnership felt that small grants helped to create meaningful experiences, encourage creativity and strengthen community bonds.
The Sompting Big Local partnership felt their legacy is evident in the lasting community connections, substantial physical improvements to the area’s parks, improved transport provision and the increased capacity of residents to become involved in their community. In addition, the partnership worked with partners like The Sid Youth CIC and Age UK to explore sustainable ways for impactful initiatives to continue beyond Big Local.
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.
What the Big Local area did
Place-based pride and connection
Establishing a community hub to bring the community together
From early and ongoing consultations, Sompting Big Local knew that residents craved more opportunities to participate in activities and connect with one another. The partnership wanted to create an inclusive and friendly space for residents to meet. They achieved this by securing a central location as a physical hub and organising activities within the community.
The partnership found a disused shop on Sompting’s main high street and a lease was signed. The shop became home to Sompting Big Local Hub for 10 years and welcomed over 25 local groups to run activities and events in the space. The Big Local Hub hosted everything from craft clubs, a space to meet and talk to local Police Community Support Officers about concerns, drop-ins for energy saving advice, and wellbeing services. Aware that many small groups could not afford the fee to hire other local venues, Sompting Big Local offered the space to local clubs for free and contributed free hot drinks and biscuits too.
The hub was open 3 days a week, ran by the partnership’s Big Local worker and supported by volunteers. The partnership reflected that the space quickly became a hub for community activity, through its established calendar of activities and events. For example, ‘Connect Café’ was a weekly café ran by Sompting Community Church at the hub. Residents joined for coffee, conversation and support. The café also linked residents to the local foodbank (also based at the hub) to ensure those facing hardship were provided with essential food items. The partnership shared that the café and food bank helped to reduce loneliness and support residents going through difficult times, with many visitors reporting improved mood and emotional wellbeing.
Despite the hub closing at the end of Big Local, the partnership viewed the space as a key part of their legacy by serving the community as a base for many projects to take place, which helped to forge lasting community connections and generate pride.
Creating community connections through events and trips
The partnership saw events as a way to connect, listen and build community from the ground up. They also wanted to provide residents with new experiences that they may not have experienced locally otherwise. Throughout the Big Local programme, the partnership organised and delivered 20 events to facilitate community connection. Events included circus skills and crafting workshops, community picnics, and subsidised pantomime trips.
To mark the end of Big Local, the partnership organised a farewell event to bring the community together for one final shared experience. They invited a travelling theatre show – The Chronicles of Atom and Luna — to the local school to perform. The partnership described it as a fitting celebration of everything they aimed to achieve: fostering creativity, connection and pride.
Community assets and spaces
Modernising parks to ensure they meet residents’ needs
In response to resident feedback, the partnership worked closely with the district and parish councils from the very beginning to implement a large-scale improvement programme. The programme aimed to ensure that Halewick Park in the north of the area and Croshaw, Hamble and Sompting Recreation Grounds in the south could each be safely enjoyed by the community. Work started in 2013, when safety fencing was installed at Croshaw Recreation Ground. A few years later, after a request from a resident, Sompting Big Local installed ‘dual’ swings in each of Sompting’s parks. These swings enabled parents to face their children as they played, providing a much-appreciated bonding moment during a hectic day.
A range of other improvements to local parks were funded by Sompting Big Local, including a grant to Friends of Hamble Park to purchase gardening equipment and hi-vis jackets so volunteers could keep their local park tidy. The partnership reflected that the funding enabled volunteers to turn ideas into action, helping to generate a sense of community ownership over their shared spaces. Every park also received new seating and three were updated with new play equipment. The partnership also worked with council park rangers to plant trees and shrubs and install a commemorative bench and new play park at Sompting Recreation Ground (also known as Sompting Rec). In total, the district council provided £115,0000 match-funding for all the park improvements and modernisation, while local residents influenced the design of the Sompting Rec play area and the choice of accessible equipment.
Alongside this, the partnership set out to replace the Sompting Recreation Ground’s old public toilets, which had closed following vandalisation. The new toilets had disabled access, were gender neutral and family friendly, with ongoing maintenance transferred to Sompting Parish Council. Unfortunately, these significantly improved facilities were vandalised again after re-opening.
From early in the programme, Sompting Big Local contributed £250,000 towards improving parks and open spaces across the area. As a result of this consistent focus on parks, partnership members reported that more residents used these green spaces for both regular visits, like parents bringing their children after school, and one-off events, like parties. The partnership themselves also valued the parks as locations where they could hold community events.
Widening access to community activities by running a self-sustaining minibus service
At the very start of the programme, the partnership realised that limited transport options prevented many residents from engaging in community activities. As a priority, they negotiated with bus provider Arriva and the council to subsidise more frequent services. However, as costs rose, the partnership had to look for alternative solutions. They took matters into their own hands and purchased their own minibus. In return for a donation, organisations operating in the area, like Age UK and the Brownies, were able to use the bus (named Billy) to transport residents to and from activities. These donations enabled Billy to become self-sustaining and, if no driver was available, the Big Local partnership worker would pick up and drop off residents themselves.
After residents requested a more accessible vehicle, Sompting Big Local donated Billy to Sustainable Sussex’s community farm and purchased ‘Rory’ (named after the roaring sound of its engine), a minibus with an automatic step and handrail.
The minibus enabled residents to attend leisure centres, outdoor spaces and group activities, which helped residents to access physical activities and led to a reported increase in residents’ sense of independence and mobility. Passengers reported that the bus helped to improve their social lives through regular outings and group trips, and by sharing journeys together.
A survey of minibus users suggested that 80 per cent of journeys made by residents would not have taken place if this service had not been available. By the end of the programme, the minibus had undertaken 690 trips, improving access and reducing isolation for a total of 7,543 passengers. As Big Local came to an end, the partnership donated the minibus to local youth engagement organisation The Sid Youth, who will continue to offer transport to other community groups, using the same donation-based business model. The partnership reflected that they were proud the vehicle will remain a lasting asset for community use.
Investing in young people
Providing engaging events and activities for young people
From early in the project, the partnership were committed to engaging with young people. This led to a relationship with local, trusted Community Interest Company The Sid Youth (TSY). TSY delivered a 12-week youth club and one-to-one mentoring intended to raise young people’s aspirations and support stronger relationships with parents, teachers and peers.
When young people were consulted and said they had few opportunities to connect with one another outside school, the partnership commissioned TSY to organise a fun-day for 11- to 16-year-olds. At the event, 500 young people enjoyed the chance to try out a range of activities, from circus skills and inflatable assault courses to table tennis and music workshops. The following year, the partnership allocated funds to a similar event which attracted 800 attendees.
Responding to crisis and urgent need
Supporting residents during Covid-19 by keeping an ear to the ground
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the partnership was able to respond quickly because they were already well connected with the community and understood their needs. Being in daily contact with residents, they spotted new challenges as they arose, like schoolchildren who lacked the equipment to study from home, local volunteers without access to PPE and residents in vulnerable situations becoming isolated.
Sompting Big Local quickly provided a grant to a local school, enabling them to buy laptops so that families could access lessons and no-one missed out on their education due to lack of equipment. They provided gloves and masks to volunteers collecting prescriptions and set up weekly ‘Hugs and Mugs’ sessions online, which any resident could attend. In 2021, 100 of the most isolated residents received a visit from a partnership Christmas ‘reindeer’, who brought festive cheer while delivering a wellness box containing a cream tea.
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 Sompting Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 15 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Aged 65 and over’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 15 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Highest level of qualification: No qualifications’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS067/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 15 January 2025)
Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) (2023) ‘Community Needs Index, Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion’. Available at: ocsi.uk/2023/05/24/community-needs-index-2023/ (Accessed 15 January 2025)