Tang Hall Big Local covered an area situated to the east of York city centre. It benefitted from proximity to both York city centre and the campuses of York University and York St John University. The neighbourhood itself boasted a diverse range of amenities, including two primary schools, shops, a community centre, children’s centre, and library, as well as ample green space. As of 2021, the population of Tang Hall stood at 11,300, with 29 per cent identifying as full-time students (ONS, 2022a; 2022b).
Tang Hall exhibited a higher proportion of socially rented housing (22 per cent compared to 14 per cent in City of York), and experienced a higher level of overcrowded housing compared to the wider City of York (ONS, 2023a, 2023b). The community also faced distinct challenges in the realm of public health – higher numbers of residents were diagnosed with depression (House of Commons Library, 2024) and a substantial number reported bad overall health (ONS, 2023c).
The Tang Hall Big Local partnership prioritised three key areas during the programme: improving wellbeing, supporting young people and families, and building connections in the community. They did this through focusing on delivering activities and increasing opportunities for residents, working with others in the community, and funding new and existing organisations. They wanted to leave a legacy of improved infrastructure, strong relationships between stakeholders and residents, and improved resident capacity.
In 2017, the partnership took a major step towards their legacy goals by establishing the Tang Hall Big Local Community Interest Organisation (CIO) to manage their Big Local funding and staff as the Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO). The Board of Trustees, comprised entirely of residents, oversaw the CIO, while decisions and the strategic direction of Big Local initiatives were determined by the partnership. The partnership felt that developing governance procedures and collaborative practices was crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability, and maintaining a positive reputation.
The partnership’s approach to delivery was a balance between commissioned work and project delivery through the CIO. For the latter, the partnership drew on support from volunteers, noting the transformative impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on their volunteer engagement practices. They attracted and retained approximately 70 volunteers who contributed over 1,350 hours in 2020–2021. Formal volunteer processes (including an online application and a volunteer policy), were complemented by the use of Tang Hall Community Centre as a base for activities, drawing in long-term residents and university students.
Acknowledging the need for external expertise in achieving their goals, the partnership engaged organisations (such as North Yorkshire Youth and Citizens Advice) for specialised services. Their effectiveness was further enhanced by funding a paid worker with business skills and experience, whose role focused on relationship building and process creation. This approach supported the setting up of the CIO, facilitated project commissioning, and encouraged collaborative efforts across organisations and agencies within the community.
As the Big Local programme came to an end, the partnership made the decision to close Tang Hall Big Local CIO. Partnership members — many of which were also trustees of the CIO and volunteered across a range of Big Local-supported projects — felt there was not sufficient interest to carry on as a collective group. They reflected that their legacy lay in the increase in resident-led activities, projects and groups that now existed in the community, as well as greater collaboration between key agencies, voluntary organisations and social enterprises operating in the Tang Hall area.
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.
The Tang Hall partnership considered food provision integral to their work, and to social justice, seeing it as important for fostering aspiration and community cohesion.
Believing that a good diet is more influenced by affordability and availability than education, the partnership initiated a variety of food projects. These included a Breakfast Club, weekly picnics, a food-focused social enterprise, a ‘pay what you feel’ weekly lunch, and a six-week cookery course (with participants cooking for the community lunch and Breakfast Club).
While some initiatives were more successful than others, the partnership’s consistent work around food provision meant that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, they could deliver an especially swift and effective response. This resulted in the distribution of approximately 2,766 food parcels and the preparation of 8,500 meals from 2020 to 2021.
Towards the end of the Big Local programme, the Breakfast Club – which doubled as a non-traditional food bank – stood as Tang Hall’s foremost project, having evolved from their pandemic initiatives. Every Friday, community members could access ‘pay what you feel’ groceries alongside a warm breakfast and socialising with other residents.
Through consultations, the partnership found that residents often felt shut out by the processes surrounding services and support, or the need to travel into the city centre for appointments. Finding ways to provide and better connect residents to these services and support became another cornerstone of Tang Hall Big Local’s work.
For example, through attending the Breakfast Club residents came to the community centre, with access to services and signposting. Attendees could benefit from offerings from Citizens Advice, Social Housing Services, Age UK, local councillors, and other council-based support. The club thus created a supportive, reliable drop-in environment within the community, removing barriers like online forms, which some residents found less accessible.
Improving support for young people repeatedly emerged in consultations as a pressing need in the community. Tang Hall Big Local funding was allocated to local support from a youth worker from North Yorkshire Youth. This funding facilitated weekly youth club sessions, along with one-to-one support and detached support throughout the community. The youth worker highlighted the essential nature of long-term funding, recognising the time it takes for young people to build trust in youth workers and feel comfortable visiting a community space. The partnership felt the investment in youth work – in providing support and physical space to meet – led to increased confidence and self-esteem among young people in the area.
Through a consistently joined-up approach to delivery, the Tang Hall Big Local partnership built a reputation as a trusted and resourceful partner capable of offering strategic and operational support for projects in Tang Hall. Members felt this led to increased collaboration among agencies, voluntary and community organisations, and social enterprises.
Recognising the pivotal role of local government in services and support – especially children’s services, adult social care, and housing – the partnership developed a strong working relationship with York City Council. The relationship evolved through stakeholder events, organised by the partnership, which brought together a range of local organisations. These provided a platform for sharing feedback on Big Local plans and exploring possibilities for collaborative working. Collaborating with the Big Local partnership helped extend the council’s reach and service provision in the community. The relationship proved important during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the Tang Hall Big Local partnership was invited to join a network of support hubs, with York City Council coordinating volunteers and food provision.
Towards the end of the programme, the partnership reflected on how their commitment to collaborative working had helped increase the number of joint, community-owned, and co-produced activities in the area.
Funding new ideas was an important part of Tang Hall Big Local partnership’s long-term approach. Within the framework of their priority themes, they aimed to empower individuals, and facilitate and collaborate on developing initiatives that could create lasting change.
Their approach involved supporting new organisations and enterprises, which they felt helped foster a culture of collaboration. This was exemplified through their ‘Made in Tang Hall’ project, where Big Local funding was invested in entrepreneurs through social enterprise support. As well as aiding the development of new and existing groups, the partnership felt that this support – coupled with additional grants – helped foster a spirit of enterprise and problem-solving within the community. A social enterprise, Food Circle, was established by two local chefs with the goal of creating a better food system for residents. Initially supported by Big Local, Food Circle settled in Tang Hall Community Centre, working closely with the partnership on various activities.
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.
The partnership supported an existing community space, the Tang Hall Community Centre, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship. Before Big Local, the community centre was operating as its own charity with limited funding, only opening a few days each week. Recognising shared priorities and a common vision for the area, the partnership took an important opportunity to collaborate.
A few years into the programme, the Tang Hall Big Local partnership began using the community centre as its base. This provided the Big Local worker with an office, connections with organisations in the centre, a presence in Tang Hall, and versatile spaces for drop-ins and events. Additionally, Big Local funding contributed to improvements to the centre’s toilets and kitchen facilities. The collaboration enabled the Big Local partnership to reach more residents, invest in a broader range of activities (with the kitchen being vital for food provision initiatives), and establish the centre as an essential hub.
The significant increase in use and activity helped the centre’s management to evidence need and fundraise for additional activities, further enhancing the resources and support available for the community.
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 Tang Hall Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
House of Commons Library (2024) ‘Constituency data: health conditions: Depression prevalence’. (Accessed 10 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 10 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: social grade (N‑SEC): L15 Full-time students’. (Accessed 10 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. (Accessed 10 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Overcrowded housing’. (Accessed 10 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Self-reported general health: bad/very bad health’. (Accessed 10 October 2024)
