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, and during the Big Local programme it was still bordered by farmland to the west. It and other housing estates nearby 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. Countering this decline was a key goal for the Westfield Big Local partnership.
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). This was relevant throughout the Big Local programme, as several residents had to balance their involvement in the programme with personal health needs. 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.
Westfield Big Local partnership’s vision was “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”.
When the programme began, residents and groups came together to plan how to take Westfield Big Local forward. A formal partnership was created the following year, underpinned by an organisational framework that set out the number and type of partnership members, their responsibilities and relationships, and plans for both open resident meetings and focused working groups. The partnership was designed to include a minimum of eight residents (including a local councillor), at least one young person, and five or six supporting organisations.
At the start of the Big Local programme, a group of residents and organisations 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.
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.
The partnership and the local groups it supported were successful in leveraging other sources of funding to maintain and build upon their investments during the programme, including securing grants for the playpark and funding from the Economic Recovery Fund to improve local shops and provide events. This additional funding helped their work continue into the future.
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.
Westfield Big Local partnership created a calendar of events, both to provide enjoyable activities for residents and to increase general engagement in the community. These included an annual local gala and seasonal parties, litter-picks, and other environmental clean-ups.
The partnership 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.
Residents developed a range of skills around event management, budgeting, and community involvement through these events and trips.
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. 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. 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, hosting toddler, parent, and young people’s groups and holiday playschemes, exercise classes, a well-attended craft group, adult education classes, and more. It also hosted a comprehensive information and advice service with representatives from Citizens Advice, the Salvation Army, housing services, and Sheffield City Council income management and financial inclusion team.
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, with hope that the space would remain open to the community. 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.
Westfield Big Local partnership provided grants and meeting space to a range of groups for children, young people, and parents. In one case, this included stepping in to secure the future for a popular children’s group that was at risk of closure. The partnership helped run holiday clubs and other groups from the community hub, filling a significant gap in local services.
With Big Local funding, a local football team, the Westfield Juniors Football Club was able to offer free sessions and provide equipment and kits for 28 local children and young people.
Many residents of the area (including children and young people) also 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. Over a period of at least six years, and with financial 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. As with the community hub, this work took dedication from volunteers over a long period of time, supported by the partnership.
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’. (Accessed 21 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022c) ‘UK Census 2021: Number of households’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Self-reported general health: very good health’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Social rented housing’. (Accessed 14 October 2024)
