To support the local work in North Cleethorpes, Big Local has always connected to wider UK support offered through partnerships
Big Local North Cleethorpes is one of around 150 areas of the country delivering a Big Local programme. It’s all funded from the National Lottery Community Fund and managed through Local Trust.
Our Big Local journey locally in North Cleethorpes has not been travelled in isolation. We’ve been part of this bigger ‘movement’ across the UK more widely.
Around our location there are Big Local’s in Winterton; Mablethorpe; Greenfield in Hull; Withnersea and others. Our partnership committee have made visits to other Big Locals and we, in turn, have hosted visits from them. We’ve long had a connection to the Big Local in Scarborough too. Each of these connections help us to ensure that we’re delivering Big Local in the best way possible for our residents. We learn from each other, share ideas and approaches and learn to overcome issues together.
But of course, each Big Local area is also unique and our North Cleethorpes approach has been tailored uniquely to our area.
We received ongoing support from Local Trust from day one – especially through our Local Trust ‘rep’ who comes to the partnership meetings; guides and advises and double-checks us and the LTO. This relationship has been invaluable and ensures we’re making the most of the collective knowledge of Big Local areas from across the UK. A big thanks to David, Rachel and Ruth who have been our Local Trust reps over the years.
For many years Local Trust held national conferences – “Connects” – which Big Local partnerships can attend. Our team from North Cleethorpes has attended all of these events – sometimes even presenting our local story or showcasing our work. The final “Connects” in 2023 in Nottingham was sad as the programme was slowly drawing to a close, but once again a chance to benefit from the shared learning and experience from 150 communities around the UK.
The North Cleethorpes team have also participated in a UK wide Coastal Cluster learning programme, as well as a Monitoring and Impact learning programme in Leeds.
We’ve hosted visits in North Cleethorpes from the Home Office, politicians and other organisations interesting in learning from the Big Local approach, and we too have managed to visit several other communities.
Big Local is so different in every local community and that’s one of the things that make it special. The funding has been provided nationally so that decisions can be made on a hyper-local level to the issues and ideas that come directly from the community.
Whilst we’ve taken the journey in North Cleethorpes as a community over the past decade and more, we’ve not done it alone. Partnership all the way.
Visit Local Trust to learn more about all the other Big Local’s around the UK
