Toothill
Key points
- Toothill Big Local partnership worked to transform a disused local pub, into a vibrant community hub, creating a multi-functional space to serve the area into the future.
- A community interest company was established to deliver the new hub and work towards the long-term future of the space.
- Small grants engaged the community, and residents benefitted from flexible funding and having a say in how funding was allocated.
About the Big Local area
The Toothill Big Local area was based in Toothill on the western edge of Swindon. The area, previously consisting of two farmhouses, farmland, cottages, and open spaces, was developed into an urban village (a compact residential area combining elements of urban and village lifestyles) in 1975. In 2021 Toothill had a population of 4,539 who predominantly lived in a mix of semi-detached and terraced homes (ONS, 2022).
During Big Local, the village centre comprised many key amenities, including a church, small shops, a community centre, health services, schools, and a sports and activities centre. Toothill also featured five public parks, two of which included play areas. More children aged 0–19 lived in low-income families compared to wider South West England (23 per cent compared to 17 per cent) (DWP, 2024). Additionally, 27 per cent of households in Toothill did not own a car, compared with 17 per cent across the region (ONS, 2023).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
Established in 2014, the Toothill Big Local partnership set out with three overarching themes for their work: supporting existing activity in Toothill, providing more opportunities for the community, and enhancing physical assets. These themes emerged from community engagement, including questionnaires, pop-up events, and family activity days.
The Toothill partnership comprised members who brought professional experience to their roles, and who felt they had a clear understanding of their strengths and limitations. Recognising the importance of expertise in certain areas, members sought external advice and support as needed.
Improving assets in and for the community became the focus of the partnership’s work. After several years exploring options for investment, a former pub in the area — the Village Tavern — was acquired, with the intention of transforming it into a multipurpose community hub that was designed by locals for locals.
As early as 2014 the partnership began working to establish a community interest company (CIC), intended to be their legacy organisation: The Hub @ Toothill CIC. This enabled the partnership to acquire and manage the pub building and attract further funding for the hub. The project demanded significant time, energy, and funding; as a result, other Big Local activities were limited to small-scale initiatives, such as improving the physical environment through planting. These were funded through a community grants scheme, which was important for engaging residents and creating incremental change in the area while the hub was in development. Eventually, these other projects were wound down so that attention and resources could be channelled into completing the hub project. The Toothill Big Local partnership tapped into opportunities to build a range of skills — like governance, fundraising, and strategic planning — to help them progress with their plans.
Towards the end of the Big Local programme, the Toothill Big Local partnership reflected on the camaraderie and resilience they had developed as a group. From their perspective, this had proven essential in overcoming challenges around accessing support associated with delivering a major hub project. Partnership members noted their learning around compliance (adhering to legal, ethical, and organisational standards for transparency and accountability) as part of their work on Big Local, and through establishing the CIC. Through their efforts, the partnership felt they had laid the groundwork for lasting, positive impact in the 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.
What the Big Local area did
Community assets and spaces
Developing a disused local building into a vibrant community hub
The transformation of the Village Tavern into a multifaceted community hub became a defining project for the Toothill Big Local partnership. Early in the programme, in close collaboration with Swindon Borough Council and a local community centre committee, the partnership carried out extensive local consultation around the need for new facilities in the area. The Village Tavern — located in the centre of the Big Local area — emerged as a viable option for development and was more cost-effective and desirable as a site for a new hub than constructing a new facility.
Despite being in significant disrepair and requiring major investment, the existing building was a perfect canvas for both community and private use. It had a large bar area, separate games and function rooms, an upstairs living space, kitchen, and outdoor green space. The partnership intended the renovated hub to serve numerous purposes for the community, including hosting local services (including older people’s and mental health support), social events such as coffee mornings and seasonal events. Plans to generate income through the space included running a cafe with social activities during the day and a licensed bar on evening and weekends, as well as through hiring out rooms for private functions.
A major step in the project was the establishment of a community interest company (CIC) in 2014 — The Hub @ Toothill CIC — which was dedicated to managing the hub’s development and future. Directors of the CIC included six residents with expertise in governance, finance, and community development, with some involved in the Big Local partnership for many years. The building was acquired in 2019, under a 62-year lease from Swindon Borough Council, initially on a peppercorn rent. Working closely with the directors of the CIC and local authorities, partnership volunteers produced a business plan for the project, applying for additional funding, managing contractors, and seeking external expertise where needed.
The project was a long, challenging, but rewarding journey for partnership members. The partnership’s long-term capacity and resilience grew significantly through the project when works were left incomplete by the original contractor. To cover costs, local tradespeople volunteered time and expertise, and national home construction companies provided additional funding and in-kind support. This enabled the building to partially pass Building Compliance and the CIC to begin planning for a phased opening in Summer 2026.
As the Big Local programme came to an end, the CIC, with support from an interim CEO role, had launched a crowdfunding campaign for initial running costs and final construction costs. By this point the Toothill Big Local partnership had stopped meeting formally as a group and handed the project over to the CIC for completion. However, members still felt their initial objectives of providing a new high-quality space for residents would be realised. When open, The Hub @ Toothill would reduce the need for residents to travel out of the village by substantially improving local services while also fostering community pride and improving general perceptions of the area.
Community engagement
Maintaining engagement and change through community grants
A small-grants programme played a crucial role in engaging the Toothill community. Through providing flexible support for various local activities and contributing to the capacity-building efforts of residents, the partnership kept residents engaged with their work, and kept incremental change underway in the area. Projects supported by grants included initiatives for young people and families, such as the Butterflies Family Centre (continuously funded by Swindon Council), a gym club, and books for a local school.
Initially, residents went through an application process for these grants. The partnership offered advice via phone or in-person, and where applicants were unsuccessful, support was offered to guide them to alternative resources. Over time, the Toothill Big Local partnership enhanced its website and the application process, providing more options for residents to have their say by creating an online voting process to select projects to be funded. They also adapted the voting process to include those without internet access.
From the partnership’s perspective, the grants programme served as a flexible and easily achievable way to respond to community need, and an effective way to engage residents over many years while the hub was being developed. The partnership observed grants attracting new members, bringing a diverse range of experiences and a younger demographic that was needed for broad community representation. Crucially, the partnership felt that the funded projects contributed to their longer-term goals around developing capacity in residents through helping improve skills and instil confidence.
The grants programme ran until mid-way through Big Local, in 2019, at which point the remaining Big Local funding was allocated to ensure the success of The Hub @ Toothill.
Finding creative ways to keep the community engaged
Alongside their community grants programme, the Toothill partnership used creative approaches to keep residents engaged and meet community need during the development of the The Hub @ Toothill. These included supporting and promoting local annual pantomimes and Christmas Fetes.
Maintaining consultation and engagement throughout the development of The Hub @ Toothill was an ongoing process for the partnership. They gathered feedback from residents and kept the community informed through various approaches, including a Facebook community with over 600 members. Through this the partnership ran competitions (offering locally-sourced prizes) and established useful connections with local media outlets and local councillors.
The partnership collaborated with experts in community engagement. As work progressed on The Hub, the partnership worked with Community Organisers (a national charity) to understand more about the specific activity residents wanted in the new space. This engagement project included a door knocking exercise, Stitch Social (a group crafting event which resulted in a banner celebrating the new hub), and In a Public Living Room (hosted by Camerados — a social movement which hosts welcoming community spaces). These all provided an opportunity for residents to hear more about progress, air concerns, and connect with their neighbours.
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 Toothill Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (2024) ‘Children in low income families: local area statistics’. Available at: gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2023/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-financial-year-ending-2023 (Accessed 24 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 24 January 2025)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: No cars or vans in household’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS045/editions/2021/versions/4 (Accessed 24 January 2025)