SCOTLANDS & BUSHBURY HILL PARTNERSHIP

1. Tell us about your organisation?

The Big Local Programme (https://localtrust.org.uk/big-local/about-big-local/) was launched to provide funds to areas across the country that had not had their fair share.  

Residents from each area had to work together to develop a plan to enable them to access £1m worth of funding, which then needed to be managed by local residents with local decision-making at the heart of this bottom-up, grassroots-led programme.  

Scotlands & Bushbury Hill Partnership was established almost 10 years ago in response to this move and was made up of local people from across the area, who have helped steer the development of the Big Local Plan. 

It enabled local people and local community organisations to come together and collaborate and, from this, the WV10 Consortium has emerged with local, small,  resident-led community groups now supporting the development and delivery of large scale funding initiatives in the local area. 

2. Who do you help?

All local people, community groups and hubs across the Scotlands & Bushbury Hill area. We helped fund the original refurbishment of the Big Venture Centre and continue to be the catalyst for many projects and programmes.

3. What services do you offer?

We are simply a partnership of residents, offering them the opportunity to become involved in decision-making processes for investment in their local area. As part of our remit, we manage the Big Local Programme in the area and also provide the capacity support that runs the WV10 Consortium and all of its projects.

4. Give us an idea of some of your achievements?

The Scotlands & Bushbury Hill partnership has been operating Big Local since 2010 and, during that time, we have achieved the following:

• Saved a local community building from demolition and developed the Big Venture Centre into a thriving, self-sustaining social enterprise 
• Co-produced a family-focused mental health programme across the area, providing opportunities for the whole family to develop proactive resilience and improve their own quality of life
• Expanded the provision of Credit Union in the area, with a collection point now available at Big Venture Centre
• Supported the establishment of the Bushbury Buddies Project, providing a befriending scheme for older people, securing £132,000 of funding to enable us to train and recruit a cohort of volunteers

Through our capacity support team, we have leveraged over £1.5million of funds in addition to Big Local, in order to deliver a number of initiatives, projects and programmes

5. What makes WV10 special to you?

“WV10 area is our home and, for many, the place we were born and raised.  It is a place with many needs, but also an area with many strengths and a fantastic community spirit.”

Kim Payne, WV10 Consortium