The St Oswald and Netherton Big Local area, known as L30’s Million Big Local, was in Sefton, about six miles north of Liverpool city centre. The Big Local area covered part of Netherton and some of St Oswald. In 2021, the area was home to 7,374 people, of whom 95 per cent were white British (ONS, 2022; 2023). Compared with North West averages, the area had a high level of deprivation, greater levels of crime, and more people living with poor health (MHCLG, 2019a; 2019b; Police UK, 2024).
The area had a large amount of green space and the Leeds-Liverpool canal meandered through its centre. This created a natural divide and residents and community organisations tended to identify with individual neighbourhoods rather than the whole area. While residents felt community spirit had weakened, they benefited from a wealth of community assets, including churches, schools, sports facilities, the L30 Community Centre, and a health and wellbeing centre.
In 2013, the L30’s Million Big Local partnership consulted the community widely, leading to priorities around developing opportunities for residents, responding to challenges (like anti-social behaviour), and strengthening community spirit.
Partnership members brought significant skills and experience to the group and shared a commitment for the partnership to be resident-led. Many remained involved for many years. They emphasised openness and accountability, producing a series of videos which publicised activities across the area (attracting up to 25,000 views) and maintaining an active Facebook page.
After a few years of delivery, the partnership reviewed their priorities and decided to invest in smaller, resident-led initiatives as part of an asset-based approach. Focusing on “what’s strong, not what’s wrong”, they worked with groups and organisations which understood their community and trusted them to deliver what was needed. Through this, the L30 Community Centre became a key delivery site for a range of Big Local activities. At the same time, the partnership supported residents to develop their own ideas and connected communities and organisations, including through their Pie and Pounds community grants scheme.
Sefton Council played a significant role as the partnership’s Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO) early on, but partnership and council priorities were not always aligned. Partnership members learned to navigate tensions and collaborated to solve problems. For example, they selected Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to be their new LTO mid-way through the programme, and worked with the L30 Community Centre to employ their own worker. The Community Builder worker furthered residents’ capacity, sourced additional funding, and engaged with key local stakeholders. A freelance community Health and Wellbeing Connector was brought on board during the Covid-19 pandemic, before going on to play an important role in delivery in the final years of the Big Local programme.
Towards the end of Big Local, the L30’s Million partnership worked with the University of Liverpool to understand the impact of Big Local in the area, particularly that of the two workers. The partnership recognised that the legacy of L30’s Million lay in strengthened community organisations, the connections between them, and residents’ capacity to respond to community needs. At the end of the programme, residents felt prouder of where they lived and felt the area had become more vibrant, attractive, and safe. The Community Builder and Health and Wellbeing Connector played a key part in this, by providing encouragement and support for residents to build community spirit.
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.
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.
Prior to Big Local, the L30 Community Centre was a well-used resource. Recognising how the centre had stepped up to support residents during the Covid-19 pandemic, Big Local funding supported the centre’s distribution of children’s activity packs and food parcels. Further Big Local funding helped bridge a financial gap to keep this vital community space open. The centre went on to secure funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
The centre became home to various health and wellbeing Big Local activities and was a base for the L30’s Million Community Builder. Activities included ideas generated by residents, like a ‘tea-time pantry’ which was created so working residents could access low-cost food. This volunteer-run initiative logged 2,653 shopping visits in its first year, regularly attracting over 50 shoppers per week.
The partnership felt the success of this collaboration was down to the shared vision between themselves and Fun4Kidz, who were also operating at the centre. Together they worked to ensure the L30 Community Centre was a place where people felt their wellbeing would be supported. As the Big Local programme came to an end, the partnership invested in energy efficient improvements to the building, to support the centre’s long-term future.
A key part of the L30’s Million partnership’s asset-based approach was to support existing local venues. This involved investing in improved sustainability of buildings.
Big Local funding was used for energy efficiency audits for three local churches that hosted a range of activities, while the Community Builder supported them to apply for additional funding to make improvements. Improvements included a new roof, new boilers, better insulation, and solar panels.
Big Local funding was also used for larger improvement projects, like matching funding from the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner to support an ambitious renovation of Sefton ABC Boxing Club. The volunteer-run club offered a safe environment where young people could build confidence through positive activities. Adding changing places for girls, an accessible toilet, a kitchen, and a parents’ room, helped double the number of supported young people to around 80 per night.
Alongside building improvements to local venues, the L30’s Million partnership aimed to support local groups and organisations through opportunities for collaboration and connectivity.
An activity planner, developed and updated regularly by staff, provided an effective way for organisations and groups to prevent duplication of activity, while the partnership developed popular seasonal trail events which guided residents to community spaces. In one event, around 100 residents participated in arts and crafts across four different venues, before joining a bunny hop in the park. Previously overlooked places benefited from this exposure, with the library (based in a tucked-away location) seeing a five-fold increase in families at its reading sessions.
Committed to increasing interaction between venues and groups, the partnership organised Marketplace events, attended by around 250 residents and 25 organisations. As well as giving the community a greater sense of activities happening locally, it enabled groups and organisations to develop joint projects. St Mark’s Church connected with the Wildlife Trust at the Marketplace and went on to collaboratively create a wildflower meadow and vegetable beds, which were planted and maintained by residents.
Staff and volunteers at local groups and organisations reported feeling they had a better understanding of and connections with their local community. This improved their confidence as individuals and increased the resilience of their organisations.
The L30’s Million partnership supported residents to create new opportunities for social connection, through the Pie and Pounds community events and the Community Builder’s ad-hoc support.
The Community Builder took a mentoring approach, supporting residents to develop, deliver, and source further funding for their ideas. For example, a group of residents wanted to deliver arts activities at their local church. Conversations with the Community Builder and Big Local funding helped set the group up. They used the initial funding to pay for supplies and storage, which led to a new art group and exhibition. The Community Builder supported them to apply for further Big Local funding to launch an arts group for children, and music sessions for teenagers. This involved accessing safeguarding training, which built residents’ confidence to deliver the project. The Community Builder also connected them with local organisations for support.
The Community Builder supported residents and groups applying for the Pie and Pounds community grants scheme. Running three times a year, anyone with an idea was invited to complete a short form to access up to £400 of funding. They would then be invited to pitch their idea and answer audience questions at a public event. Pie was served while votes were counted and funding allocated.
The partnership introduced Pie and Pounds events to provide more opportunities for residents to have a say on how Big Local funding was spent. Over 40 groups and organisations were supported through L30’s Million grants over the course of the programme, including a monthly afternoon tea for older residents at St Oswald’s Centre. Big Local funding enabled Pie and Pounds tickets (which included a meal and entertainment) to be sold at a low-cost, and transport was provided for those who needed it.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Big Local funding was invested in a local fitness instructor to get residents exercising in the L30’s Million area. Playing an energising theme song, the Health and Wellbeing Connector took to the streets every week with volunteers in fun costumes. Hundreds of residents of all ages regularly joined in, even those who had never exercised before, while less mobile residents exercised from chairs in their front gardens. With so many people involved, the partnership saw engagement “grow and grow” and visits to their Facebook page surged.
Eager to continue this work, the partnership commissioned the Health and Wellbeing Connector to deliver a range of activities and exercise classes, including yoga, hula-hooping, and one-to-one programmes with people referred by GPs. A weekly £4 fee also gave residents access to any exercise sessions delivered at the L30 Community Centre or St Oswald’s Centre. To maximise engagement, the partnership developed relationships with individual residents and families, supporting them to get involved and adapting activities based on feedback. Sessions often ended with opportunities for socialising, and additional family-focused activities were held during school holidays.
Residents reported life-changing impacts, including reduced symptoms of depression, increased self-esteem, and new friendships. Many reported feeling more empowered and confident to continue to make positive changes. Some felt able to return to employment or take on volunteering opportunities.
The L30’s Million Big Local partnership recognised that, despite supporting activity and local venues, these would not be well-used if residents did not know about them. Part of the role of the Community Builder and the Health and Wellbeing Connector was to engage the community and highlight what was going on locally.
The staff developed informal approaches, that did not rely on residents reaching out to them at existing community spaces. For example, on Walkabout Wednesday, the Community Builder would walk around the area at different times, taking different routes. The walk would be publicised on social media, welcoming residents to join or pop out to have a chat. Alongside this was Meet your Street, where Big Local staff would pick a street and set up a public living room, complete with inflatable sofas, rugs, and refreshments. Residents were invited (through social media) to join for a chat and find out what was happening locally.
Informal approaches complemented and promoted larger L30’s Million events (run in collaboration with local organisations and venues), which included frequent seasonal trails events and celebrations (like VE Day). The partnership felt these events were important ways to celebrate local stories, deepen relationships, and support residents to develop shared memories.
A Friday afternoon Walk and Talk project was developed as part of the L30’s Million partnership’s commitment to supporting resident wellbeing. Drawing on community feedback, the Health and Wellbeing Connector adapted Walk and Talk to include litter-picking.
Over time, volunteers reported a greater sense of ownership over their local area, while the partnership felt that the area was tidier and littering had decreased. The litter-picking group had tea and coffee together after walks, making it a popular signposting opportunity used by the Health and Wellbeing Connector for residents experiencing social isolation or low confidence.
A parallel project developed after residents voted to allocate £500 to cleaning equipment for the local stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Over a six year period, regular community clean-ups – removing rubbish, bicycles, shopping trolleys, and even a kitchen sink – were aided by British Waterways and the Canal and River Trust (CRT). This led to the partnership adopting a one-mile stretch of the canal following an agreement with the CRT.
Known as the Canal Crew, volunteer sessions were held with the CRT to maintain the environment. Residents cleared the path alongside the canal, engaged in wild-flower planting, and created a poetry trail (a path with signs showing poetry). Sessions involved using a raft to clear litter and invasive species from the canal. The Community Builder supported the Canal Crew, ensuring that health and safety requirements were met and there were a range of volunteering opportunities to meet different needs and abilities. This enabled volunteers to simply turn up and engage however they wished, with residents reporting it helped them build new skills and feel closer to nature and their fellow volunteers.
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 L30’s Million Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019a) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 (15 January 2025)
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2019b) ‘English indices of deprivation 2019: Health deprivation and disability domain’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 (Accessed 15 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 18 February 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘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 18 February 2025)
Police UK (2024) ‘Crime type: All crimes (12-month total)’. Available at: data.police.uk/data/ (Accessed 15 January 2025)
