The Westfield Big Local area covered a housing estate eight miles south-east of Sheffield City Centre. The estate was built in the 1960s and 1970s on what had previously been farmland. It had expanded in more recent years, with Westfield becoming more densely populated (ONS, 2022a).
Some residents said that the estate had been a desirable place to live when first built, but that its buildings and spaces had been poorly maintained. Several residents described how community spirit had declined.
In 2021, the area was home to over 3,300 people and around 1,600 households (ONS, 2022b; 2022c). 92 per cent of residents were white, a higher percentage than the English national average of 81 per cent (ONS, 2023a).
The area’s health profile was worse than Sheffield overall; only 37 per cent of Westfield residents described themselves as being in “very good health”, compared with 47 per cent in the city as a whole (ONS, 2023b). During the programme, a much higher percentage of residents lived in social rented housing compared with the England average (40 per cent compared to 17 per cent) (ONS, 2023c). There were lots of families in Westfield, with the partnership noting that children and young people formed a visible part of the community.
At the start of the Big Local programme, the Westfield Big Local partnership ran a series of events and activities – such as coffee mornings, litter-picks, door-knocking surveys, and fun days – to engage with residents across the estate and identify priorities for action. Emerging issues included perceived high rates of crime and antisocial behaviour, and the need for better education and employment opportunities. Priorities for action included providing activities for the whole community (across all age groups) and creating new green spaces, especially for use by children and young people.
Following this early engagement, the partnership developed their vision: “to develop the Westfield community to its full potential, where people feel it is a great place to live and where children, young people, and adults feel included and are inspired to be the best they can be”. This was rooted in the priorities identified by residents and helped shape delivery throughout the programme.
Partnership members had defined roles and responsibilities, including at least one young person, a local councillor, and five or six supporting organisations. These organisations included local faith groups, schools, council departments, residents’ associations, and housing teams. Delivery was organised through subgroups focused on key strands of work such as the community hub, community engagement, and events. These groups reported back through annual open community meetings, giving residents regular opportunities to shape decisions and influence the direction of the programme.
Collaborative working was key to the partnership’s success. Over the course of the programme, they worked with a mix of paid staff, volunteers, and delivery partners. For example, they employed a centre and events manager to support the running of their community hub. Volunteers helped to deliver activities and maintain community spaces, including a new playpark. The partnership also commissioned external organisations to deliver some activities, often building long-term relationships with trusted partners who understood the community. This included statutory and voluntary sector organisations, which supported delivery and helped extend the partnership’s reach.
The partnership and the local groups they supported were successful in leveraging other sources of funding to maintain and build upon their investments during the programme, including securing grants for the development of a new playpark and funding from the Economic Recovery Fund to improve local shops and host community events. This additional funding helped their work continue into the future.
Reflecting on their work towards the end of the programme, Westfield Big Local partnership saw the successful creation of a new playpark and other green space activities as a major part of their legacy. Improved relationships with agencies and provision of services for residents (including advice services and children and young people’s groups) were also seen as a success. They established Westfield Community Group (CIO) as a legacy organisation to take forward activities beyond Big Local. In the months that followed the end of Big Local, this group continued to deliver many activities valued by the community, including a weekly lunch club, an information hub, and play schemes, ensuring ongoing support and opportunities for residents.
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.
Before Big Local, Westfield had very few physical community spaces for residents. There was no GP surgery, library or church on the estate, and only a small number of shops. Partnership members felt that, in order to achieve their vision for Westfield, the community needed a focal point where people could come together. As such, when the local council-run youth and community centre came under threat due to funding pressures, the partnership felt it was vital to save it.
As they entered into negotiations with the council, the partnership secured pro bono expertise that enabled them to put together a formal presentation and documentation, including a full assessment of the condition of the building. This allowed them to successfully secure and negotiate the terms of the lease to establish a community hub. The building was secured on a peppercorn rent. Securing the lease took almost three years in total, and partnership members reflected that they were surprised at how long this process took.
The hub became the centre of community activity, open six days a week and host to toddler, parent, and young people’s groups, exercise classes, a well-attended craft group, support services, adult education classes, and more. In providing a central space for a range of community activities, the centre brought people together and helped build local relationships. One resident commented that the revived space had been life-changing for them.
Towards the end of the Big Local programme, some challenges around funding and sustainability for the centre were ongoing, and some enterprises that were piloted (such as a community café) were not successful. The Westfield partnership decided to hand the lease back to the local council, and it remained open to the community as the Big Local programme concluded, continuing to be a base for many of Westfield Community Group’s core activities. Its success during and due to the Big Local programme gave residents the chance to see how it could be used and try things out, and to adapt their approach to it as a community asset.
The Westfield Big Local partnership played a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially during lockdowns when other agencies were unable to operate in the area. The community hub played a central role in this support, acting as a vaccination centre and temporarily housing the local foodbank to provide it with the extra space necessary to operate safely.
For Christmas 2020, residents of the area, in partnership with the foodbank, delivered Christmas dinner hampers to between 70 and 80 households, reaching around 250 individuals. The partnership and other residents organised popular activities, creativity packs, socially distanced events, and activities (including a Halloween parade and street bingo).
Partnership members described how the positive response during Covid-19 lockdowns gave them the confidence to pivot their approach if needed. It also put them on the map where they hadn’t been before and developed relationships with residents, the local foodbank and other local agencies, who knew following the partnership’s successful response to the crisis that they were there and could be relied upon.
The partnership recognised that many residents needed support to navigate financial, housing, and employment issues, and that access to local advice services was limited. In response, they set up regular advice sessions delivered by Citizen’s Advice, run from the community hub. These sessions were popular with residents, which the partnership felt indicated a clear need in the community.
The service was withdrawn during the Covid-19 pandemic, however the partnership received feedback that it was greatly missed by residents. They decided to restart the service in 2021, this time relaunching it as the S20 Information Hub. The information hub expanded the offer of the original service, bringing together representatives from a range of local services, including a foodbank, social prescribers, housing and benefits teams, and local council services. Sessions were delivered as fortnightly drop-ins from the hub, with free refreshments provided. This created a ‘one-stop shop’ where residents could access multiple forms of support in a warm and welcoming space.
The partnership reflected that although this work constituted a relatively small proportion of the funding, it had a substantial impact on local people. Westfield Community Group continued to support the S20 Information Hub beyond the end of the Big Local programme, maintaining it as a regular and reliable source of advice and support for residents.
Many residents of the area (including children and young people) wanted to regenerate a local green space into a safe and useable playpark. They started a group called ‘Let’s Get Westfield a Park’ (later Friends of Westfield Park), which worked to secure permission and funding to achieve this goal. This work began early in the programme and was driven by residents who wanted to create better facilities for local families.
Over a period of at least six years, and with financial and practical support from Westfield Big Local, the group commissioned a community consultation, drew up detailed plans, and secured support and funding from public sector partners that supplemented Big Local funding.
The new playpark opened in 2021, with a launch event attended by partner organisations, local councillors and local families. The event included a celebratory ribbon-cutting, a DJ, hot dogs and popcorn. The new park featured new paths, a scooter track, safe fencing, play equipment, seating areas, signage, and planting.
The park quickly became a valued community asset, providing a space for children to play and for parents to gather and socialise. Partnership members saw the community’s ongoing efforts to keep the park clean and well-maintained as a sign of local pride and feelings of ownership. The Friends of Westfield Park continued to play a role in its upkeep, supported by the wider community.
The partnership funded a local provider to run a holiday play scheme which provided free activities for children aged 5 to 12 living in the Westfield Big Local area.
Running during school holidays throughout the year (including half terms) the scheme offered a wide range of activities such as street dance, dodgeball, martial arts, and arts and crafts. Using a local school as a base, it created a space for children to have fun, build friendships, grow in confidence, and explore their interests. By combining Big Local funding with holiday hunger funding, the project also ensured that children attending sessions received at least one nutritious meal a day.
The partnership reflected that many families saw this as a vital resource, typically supporting around 60 children at a time, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic when periods of home schooling and restrictions placed additional pressures on households. The scheme also provided opportunities for teenagers who had previously attended the sessions to return as volunteers once they were older, helping them to build their confidence and skills.
The play scheme continued to be supported by Westfield Community Group and their delivery partner, and received funding from Sheffield City Council to ensure its ongoing role as a trusted and well-used source of support for children and families in Westfield.
Westfield Big Local partnership wanted residents to feel that Westfield was a good and enjoyable place to live, where all residents had the opportunity to take part in community life. Early consultation highlighted that residents felt as though there was not a lot going on locally, and that people wanted more opportunities to come together. In response, the partnership worked to create a year-round calendar of events, to build community spirit, provide enjoyable activities, and increase general engagement across the estate. These included an annual local gala and seasonal parties, litter-picks, and other environmental clean-ups.
Seasonal events were a popular feature of this work. With support from a £71,000 grant from the Economic Recovery Fund, the partnership delivered a series of events designed to increase footfall in the local shopping area and encourage people to use local businesses. These included a Winter Wonderland event, featuring a live nativity show, and an Alice in Wonderland-themed Easter Extravaganza. Residents, especially local children, could enjoy a wide range of activities, including tombolas, food stalls, face painting, an easter egg hunt, and an animal petting zoo. The partnership also organised day-trips to Skegness, Blackpool, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and to the theatre – all at subsidised rates for local families, with payment plans available. These outings were valued opportunities for residents, some of whom had not travelled even within Sheffield, and who otherwise would not have been able to afford such trips. The coach journeys gave neighbours a chance get to know each other, and helped build a sense of community.
The events and trips were a source of pride for the partnership, and they felt that strong attendance at events demonstrated that they were valued by residents too, particularly at a time when many families were experiencing increased financial pressures. Through organising and delivering this programme of activities, partnership members also developed a range of skills around event management, budgeting, and community engagement.
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 Westfield Estate Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: Population density’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS006/editions/2021/versions/4 (Accessed 21 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022c) ‘UK Census 2021: Number of households’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘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 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Self-reported general health: very good health’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/articles/generalhealthbyagesexanddeprivationenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 14 October 2024)
