Whitleigh
Key points
- Mobile services were created to serve the community, such as Whitleigh on Wheels, which included a van that acted as a neighbourhood centre and a minibus to connect people to services and for group trips.
- By creating and revamping parks, play areas and allotments the partnership invested in the local environment. Volunteer ‘community champions’ were recruited to maintain these spaces, developing confidence and skills, and supporting their mental wellbeing.
- The Whitleigh Community Trust was established to continue resident-led change beyond the end of the Big Local programme.
About the Big Local area
Whitleigh, a linear development on a ridge surrounded by woodlands and valleys, had a population of 7,413 in 2021 (ONS, 2022). The Big Local area covered a post-war housing estate on the outskirts of Plymouth, approximately six miles from the city centre. Locally, 31 per cent of children aged 0–19 were in relatively low-income families (DWP, 2024).
During the Big Local programme, Whitleigh had a small shopping centre, primary schools, some support services, and social activities. Though there was a lot of green space, the hilly geography resulted in accessibility and connectivity issues, exacerbated by a limited bus service and less car ownership than the rest of Plymouth (ONS, 2023). The area was described by some residents as being an urban community in rural isolation, lacking in social and leisure facilities.
How the Big Local area approached delivery
At the start of the programme, the Whitleigh Big Local partnership produced a plan for their work based on hundreds of conversations with residents. Five activity themes were prioritised – play areas; children, young people, and families; older people; a community hub; and the environment.
These themes were amended a few years later, in a plan refresh, with ‘health and wellbeing’ replacing ‘older people’, and the addition of a sixth theme, ‘engaging the community’. Common objectives across the themes were creating a more useable and accessible local environment, increasing opportunities for people to meet socially and reduce isolation, and supporting people to make their ideas happen through small grants or social enterprise.
Creating a legacy organisation capable of identifying, advocating for, and creating solutions to local challenges became a priority for the partnership. Whitleigh Community Trust, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), was established midway through the programme to run in parallel with Big Local. The CIO comprised 12 trustees, of which 60 per cent were residents, with only the partnership chair sitting on both bodies to ensure independence. The trust employed staff on behalf of the partnership and secured additional funding to resource future priorities.
Whitleigh Big Local was managed by a partnership of over 20 members with voting rights. There was also a Friends of Whitleigh Big Local group, comprised of residents who were less actively involved, as well as local councillors and agency representatives. The partnership aimed to be inclusive – it ran daytime and evening meetings to increase opportunities for involvement, produced a welcome pack, and provided induction and training for new members.
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
Health and wellbeing
Delivering activities for older people and those in vulnerable circumstances
The Whitleigh Big Local partnership wanted to increase connectivity and engagement among residents. They created social networks and opportunities for people to engage in new activities, such as seated exercise and arts and crafts.
Attendees of the ‘Nifty over 50’ lunch club reported feeling more supported and connected, even when not together as a group. Other projects included a Befriending Project, aimed at one-to-one welfare rights advice and support for older people, and a Compassionate Café, built on the idea that support could be provided from within the community. The café was led by volunteers trained as ‘compassionate friends’, for adults with a range of physical and mental health needs.
Improving mental health
Poor mental health was identified by residents as a significant issue in the Whitleigh Big Local area. The Wellbeing Art Group began as a small project open to adults, creating a safe network of peer-to-peer support. The group created a community mosaic, took the lead in the Whitleigh lanterns parade, and eventually expanded to include a music group. It was organised by the community and over time became financially self-sustaining. Residents described the art group as a safe space through which they felt more a part of the community, and a partnership member described changes in participants as phenomenal.
Creating mobile services to connect people to services
Whitleigh on Wheels was a successful community van and minibus project. Initially, this project was outsourced, but the Big Local partnership eventually took on delivery and extended its provision. The community van (named Winnie) acted as a mobile office, a play bus, and a community centre, reaching more isolated members of the community. The minibus provided community transport – assisting people to access health services and social activities, and transporting children to after school clubs. It was a catalyst for community groups to organise trips. The minibus was hired to other groups in Plymouth and became a sustainable business, generating revenue which funded further Big Local activity.
Community engagement
Increasing community activity
The partnership was committed to supporting Whitleigh residents to deliver their own activities and become more engaged in their own community.
This approach was exemplified through a small grants programme. As part of this, the partnership supported applicants through the funding process, and helped them identify the difference they intended to make. Funded projects included young people who organised summer activities and increased youth involvement, and a parents-led junior football club, which brought parents together and resulted in numerous activities, including training in football coaching.
As part of this work, Big Local funding was also invested in creating social enterprises (businesses set up to give back to the community). Four existing businesses received mentoring support, and 11 new ones were started, including a community market and a play group which offered twice-weekly ‘play and stay’ activities.
Community assets and spaces
Championing green spaces
Responding to community concerns for the local environment, Whitleigh Big Local funding was invested in wildlife areas, a community allotment, and play areas. A new park was created, with a games area, skate park, and zip wire. Four more parks were revamped, including a local pocket park subsequently renamed after a local resident who had championed its transformation.
By the end of the programme, the partnership felt that the Whitleigh Big Local area had some of the best parks in Plymouth. Much of this environmental work had been made possible through additional funding beyond Big Local. One such grant led to a Green Connectors project, focused on food growing, connection to nature, and park-based activities. It helped volunteers to further build their confidence and skills, and supported their mental wellbeing in an informal space. It also included a community champions project wherein people took on environmental responsibilities, such as being a tree warden or caring for specific spaces.
Creating affordable housing
Towards the end of their funding, Whitleigh Community Trust were developing plans to build 10 sustainable, high-quality houses. These houses were intended for young families and residents in vulnerable circumstances. Whitleigh Community Trust were awarded £50,000 from Homes England to take these plans forward. Consultation with the community helped them to secure planning permission, and created a conversation around what sustainability might look like. The plans – still in development at the end of the Big Local programme – were seen by the partnership as one of their main legacy projects, intended to remain a community asset well into the future.
Investing in young people
Empowering young people
As part of their focus on children and young people, the Whitleigh Big Local partnership commissioned a youth project to deliver activities and projects identified by young people to engage them in community life. This was alongside general weekly youth activities.
One notable project focused on diversity and intended to increase knowledge and understanding of different cultures, including the experiences of young refugees. Local young people delivered a programme to adult members of the partnership, and the project culminated in an intergenerational overnight trip to London and a film. Those who took part described the project as a huge learning experience for everyone.
Eight young people were consistently involved in decision-making through the Big Local partnership. One young partnership member reflected that the partnership made them feel more confident and valuable, and that they had something to offer.
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 Whitleigh 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’. (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023) ‘UK Census 2021: No cars or vans in household’. (Accessed 17 October 2024)