Finding your way around this Reflections website…
Introduction
Thoughts from our Chair
Reflections from Darren Linford our long-term Chair of Big Local North Cleethorpes
Thoughts from our Development Workers
Reflections from John Mooney and Karl Elliott, the project Development Workers
Reflections from the LTO
A perspective from the team at the Locally Trusted Organisation which has been involved since the very start
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Getting Started
What is Big Local?
Big Local North Cleethorpes was one of over one hundred areas across the UK investing in their community. So how did it all come about?
About North Cleethorpes
Understanding the North Cleethorpes area that Big Local has been embedded in for the past decade
Exploring North Cleethorpes. Maps
A visual guide to the North Cleethorpes area
Timeline
From 2012 right up to 2025. What are the milestones that have shaped our Big Local journey?
Partnership Working
The story of bringing people together as a committee but also in partnership to deliver the vision for the local area
Planning for Real. Asking the community
Right back at the start the “Planning for Real” exercise and a range of family and community events first engaged the public in shaping the new Big Local programme
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Buildings and Places
An overview of the buildings and places connected to our programme. Read the overview.
Sidney Sussex Pavilion
Bringing the historic Pavilion in Sussex Recreation Ground back into community use was the first and largest Big Local project
82 Grimsby Road
The Big Local Community Hub and central offices. A space for the community to meet
The Red Shed / Brocklebank Hall
We built a hands-on activities workshop at the rear of our community building for groups to use
Building the Shed
How it happened. The process of building our Red Shed
Our Plant Pot Community Garden
Our outside space at 82 Grimsby Road is also for our community
Community Groups at 82 Grimsby Road
Many crafting and hands-on groups use the hub to meet
Our Social Hub at 82 Grimsby Road
We invite the community into our community hub every month
Cleethorpes Railway Station
We supported redevelopment of a building at the Railway Station and the installation of an access ramp to support visitors
The TickArt Office at Cleethorpes Station
A youth focused, community arts space breathing new life into the building at the Station
Moon on the Water
Now closed, but for a period Big Local supported this community arts and music space along North Promenade
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Arts, Leisure, Culture and Heritage
The arts are a way to connect with the community. We’ve delivered or been involved with all kinds of Arts related projects.
Read the overview here.
Music on the beach
An early event on North Cleethorpe beach getting the community engaged though music
Battle of the Bands
A music festival organised by local people and involving local groups and singers
Sidfest
For two years we supported and were involved with this Sidney Sussex based family and community event
Birdhouse Festival
Big Local encouraged the Birdhouse Festival to extend it’s reach and take place along in North Cleethorpes too
Cleethorpes Cultural Festival
A Big Local organised festival of crafts, arts and music at St Aidans Church
Moon on the Water
A key music and arts venue established for several years in North Cleethorpes and supported throughout by Big Local
Clee.TV
Our online YouTube and Facebook channel of quality video content about Cleethorpes
Culture Channel
A spin off from Clee.TV continuing to share video content relevant to the local area
Book the Band
Reacting to covid this was a new online approach to helping promote local music talent
The Reclaim Urban Arts Festivals Fringe Events
Two years of Big Local supporting Urban Arts festivals and extending them into North Cleethorpes
Urban Arts Festival 2022
The first Festival that Big Local supported with a Fringe event which brought live painting, an exhibition and music into North Cleethorpes
Urban Arts Festival 2023
Our second year of Fringe sponsorship investing in Urban arts for North Cleethorpes
Commissioned Art works
We’ve sponsored and funded a number of art works for the community. Including…
A Mural for Cleethorpes Fire Station
A large wall mural inside the Fire Station celebrating the history of the station and engaging local people to do the painting
Three art pieces
Commissioned during the 2023 Urban Arts Fringe, these images featured local images made by local artists
Art Workshops for Young People
We’ve funded a range of arts, crafts and urban arts related workshops and sessions for young people to get them excited about and involved with the arts
Legacy art project for North Cleethorpes
Working with young people to paint the shutters at 82 Grimsby Road and create a North Cleethorpes diorama art trail
The TickArt Office
Originally the building on Cleethorpes Station was redeveloped and became the Cycle Hub. But this was reborn in 2024 as a community and youth arts hub
Heritage Projects
Using match funding we’ve run a number of Cleethorpes focused projects researching and sharing heritage stories from the area.
Clee Cops. The Police Station story
When the Cleethorpes Police Station was closing down, we did the research and told the story about Policing in Cleethorpes
A Green Route for North Cleethorpes
We mapped the history of green spaces and parks around North Cleethorpes to get people out and about and exploring after covid
An Arts Trail for Cleethorpes
Mapping the public urban arts around Cleethorpes to engage the public
Cleethorpes Reenactment Day
We helped organise a re-enactment of a key moment in Cleethorpes history – the signing of the local Charter
Holiday Home
For several years we provided a caravan at Thorpe Park so that local families had a chance to have heavily discounted holidays that might otherwise have not been possible
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Support for organisations
In many cases Big Local supported the community by directly sponsoring or funding local organisations.
Support for Groups
Direct sponsorship, donations and investment by Big Local in organisations and groups serving the North Cleethorpes community
A van for CARE
Replacing the old van that provides CARE with the means to support local families
Womens Aid
Providing support for training programmes for staff and volunteers
Royal Naval Association
The redevelopment of the social spaces at the Naval Club to benefit local veterans and members
We Are Fish
Helping enable local group with their various ventures to support the local community
Support for North Prom traders
Producing a guide to North Promenade businesses to help them promote their area
and Support for the Community
Supporting resident campaigns
Big Local is apolitical but when residents have had local issues they are concerned about we’ve provided support for their campaigns
A bench for dog walkers
A small investment simply because members of the community asked for it – a new bench for dog walkers using Sidney Sussex Recreation Ground
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Communicating our message
Sharing our story with the community
Attending events; sharing newsletters; websites; surveys; meetings and more
Newsletters
Over the past few years we’ve produced and circulated a number of printed newsletters to keep the community up to date on our programme and activities
A Safer Community
Keeping local people safe through projects and information has been a key theme for Big Local for many years.
Blue Lights Brigade (BLB)
Partnership with BLB to do home safety checks on older people across North Cleethorpes
Mini-dome Police CCTV
Supporting the provision of mobile CCTV to support Policing operations in Cleethorpes
Defibrillators
Four defibrillators were installed in Cleethorpes thanks to match funding from Big Local
Sidney Park Watch
Helping local residents keep the park safe by supporting their efforts to work together on the park
Stay Safe guides
A community safety guide for older people. First edition in Cleethorpes during covid and now over 10000 copies across NEL
Keeping Older People Safe (KOPS)
An expansive programme of initiatives across NEL led by VANEL but supported long-term by Big Local
KOPS newsletters
Occasional newsletters with useful information for older residents. Some editions sponsored by Big Local and other distributed through our team
Household and personal safety equipment offer
Providing free items of household or personal safety equipment to residents in North Cleethorpes. Some funded directly by Big Local and much more funded through external projects but distributed with the help of Big Local
Tackling Scams and Fraud
Big Local working with VANEL, the Police, Fraudwatch and other partners to ensure we share positive messages with the community about avoiding scams and fraud. Incorporating a number of measures
Community Shredders for Cleethorpes
We invested in a couple of new community shredders to be available for Cleethorpes residents as part of our approach to tackling scams, fraud and identity theft
Neighbourhood Watch
VANEL leads on Neighbourhood Watch for all NEL and Big Local has helped focused support and development when those groups fall within the North Cleethorpes area
Allotment Watch
An initiative from VANEL to support allotment sites with their site safety. Big Local helped VANEL work with two neighbouring allotments to get them established as Allotment Watches
A local Community Safety Partnership
Working with Police and partners to help make North Cleethorpes safer
Grimsby Retailers in Partnership (GRIP) radio
Working in partnership with GRIP and VANEL to expand a Police connected two-way radio system down Grimsby Road and St Peters Avenue
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Telling our Story
A selection of stories from along our Big Local journey.
Double the money
£1million pounds invested over 10 years was the starting point. Further top-up funding from the national programme increased this. But the real extra value came from ‘match funding’ – all those additional projects and funding that focused in the North Cleethorpes area on top of the work of Big Local. Closer to £2million of investment will have reached the community when all is assessed.
Part of a Bigger Story
Big Local North Cleethorpes is one of over 100 areas across the UK. We’ve been learning from and with other areas and this has been a connected story over the years.
Beyond our Control
Not everything that we expected or planned to happen, did happen. Something best laid plans go wrong and there are things beyond our control. Learn what we’ve learned.
The Covid-19 experience
Covid-19 came out of the blue and totally changed the way Big Local North Cleethorpes was able to engage with and support our community. Our story tells what we experienced, how we changed and how we continued to deliver real support to our community during and after the experience
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Young People and Families
A long-term thematic area for Big Local has been to support local young people. That has meant anything from 2-25 years old and working with a range of schools and organisations. Some of our projects…
Queen Mary Avenue School outdoor classroom
An investment to improve the outdoor spaces where the children at the school play
Daubney Street kids
Local Neighbourhood Watch group supported with all their activities they organise with the young people and families in their street
Grimsby Town Football Club partnership
A two year partnership with the football club where they’ve doubled Big Local’s investment into local youth focused projects
CYC The Hangout – the Cleethorpes Youth Club
Getting a new Youth Club up and running for North Cleethorpes
The Hangout supports others
Even after the Hangout Club closed its doors, Hangout continued to use funding to support other groups to support local young people
Trinity Sounds and DJs
Supported a series of DJ and music workshops for local young people
Art workshops and sessions for Young People
Working with partners to provide Art workshops to local young people
Redeveloping the Reynolds gardens
A long-term redevelopment of the gardens and open space at the local family hub to give children and families a chance to way to feel connected to their environment. How the gardens were redeveloped
Green Influencers across North Cleethorpes
A number of Green Influencers groups across North Cleethorpes have supported young people to get involved with their environment
Green Influencers at Reynolds
Green Influencers and Young Green Influencers groups have allowed children of all ages to enjoy and engage with their environment at the centre
Green Influencers at Sidney Park
Getting young people hands-on with their environment in Sidney Park
Stride. Supporting Young people with their next steps
Youth led and youth supportive programme to give young people the change to learn and develop to be more work ready
Youth Working Lincs
A programme supporting older young people with opportunities for training and work to get them work ready
Youth Development Workers
Jasmin, Dan, Lydia and other young people have directly worked with Big Local over the years to engage differently and more directly with young people
Young Reporters
A long-running programme to give young people experience in writing, reporting and getting published. A focus on Cleethorpes in the later stages
Community Family Work
Working with the Council and other partners we’ve been helping provide support directly to families and residents.
Computers for Families
We’ve provided a number of new or refurbished computers or devices to families around Cleethorpes who have needed to be online
Hardship Grants
We’ve been a local conduit for distributing various funding out to families and residents in need
Foodbank support
Big Local has been able to support local foodbanks with small donations to help them deliver support
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Older People
A key theme for Big Local has always been to support local older people. Many initiatives that reached the wider community of course also supported older people, but many projects and initiatives such as those tackling community safety focused directly on older people
Read an overview about our support for older people
Warmspace at 82
We’ve used our community building and red shed as a warmspace for older people to visit over a couple of Winters
Digitally disconnected
Advice, training and workshops to help older people to use technology to keep them connected and engaged
The Environment
Environmental projects big and small around North Cleethorpes have long been a focus for Big Local. We’ve had some grand vision projects which maybe only Big Local could have considered, but few of these came to fruition. However, numerous smaller projects have tackled our local parks and green spaces; worked with the community and younger people; and generally helped encourage connection to and support for our green environment
Read an overview of our Environmental projects
North Beach
A long term attempt to do physical work on North Beach to improve the beach itself
Chapmans Pond
A long term project to explore ways to develop Chapmans Pond for the benefit of the community
A Pocket Park
Working with residents and partners to try and find a way to improve the open land at the back of North Beach for the benefit of the community
Sidney Park
Ongoing work to support the historic Sidney Park
Street Scenes Work
We worked on approaches to improve the look and greening of streets and open areas around North Cleethorpes
North Prom Planters
For many years we’ve worked with the Council to install a number of planters (and more recently, palm trees) around North Promenade
Issacs Hill roundabout
Installation of hanging baskets on the roundabout to improve the look
Going Green at 82
We’ve used our own community building garden to look good and engage the community
Community Allotment
Support for local groups using an allotment at Carr Lane for the community
Green Grow Boxes
A project following covid to encourage better eating and connecting with the environment and supported locally by Big Local.
Green Influencers
A major programme to engage young people with their environment. Several local schools and projects have been closed involved. Read the whole story
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Wrapping up…
People
A thank you to everyone who has been involved with the Big Local North Cleethorpes journey
Organisations
Who have we helped?
Celebrating the end of the journey
A Celebration event in January 2025 brought the programme to a close.
Where next?
How to find out more and connect to the initiatives that continue after Big Local North Cleethorpes closes at the end of 2024