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The Big Local Learning Programme brings together community organisations, funders, commissioners, infrastructure bodies and public sector partners to explore what more than 15 years of Big Local can teach us about community-led change.
Through a series of online and in-person sessions, site visits and discussions with those involved in Big Local, the programme will examine topics including community-led systems change, long-term funding, inclusion and representati...
Big Local was a pioneering programme that invested more than £200 million in 150 communities across England over 10–15 years, giving residents the power to make decisions about the future of their neighbourhoods.
As Big Local comes to a close in 2026, the North West Big Local Learning Programme provides an opportunity to reflect on more than 15 years of resident-led change. Through a series of sessions, site visits and conversations with people involved in Big Local, we’ll explore what worked, what can be learned and what this experience could mean for the future of community-led funding, commissioning and local change.
All sessions are free to attend.
Monday 29 June
Online
Exploring community-led systems change and what Big Local can teach us about shifting power, decision-making and delivery.
This online session explored what happens when residents are placed at the centre of decision-making and delivery, and how this can unlock innovation through long-term funding, collaboration and cross-sector partnerships.
Drawing on learning from Big Local, alongside insights from Local Trust, Groundwork CLM and Windmill Hill Big Local, we explored how approaches rooted in trust, shared leadership and local expertise can support communities to shape change in their places.
The session also connected this learning with the VS6 Partnership’s work on public service reform, courageous commissioning and community-empowered funding, considering what funders and commissioners can do differently to enable genuine resident-led systems change.
You can catch up on this session here.
Date TBC
L30 Community Centre
Lessons from long-term funding and legacy of Big Local, including a look at the Beacons project.
Join us for a site visit to Big Local site L30 Community Centre in Merseyside to explore how long-term, flexible funding can unlock innovation, build local leadership, and enable meaningful community-led design.
Through reflections from partners, we will hear how sustained investment empowered local people to shape priorities and create solutions that responded to the needs of their community.
The event will also examine the lasting legacy of Big Local, featuring insights from Capacity, who are delivering Local Trust’s Beacons Project across the Liverpool City Region, and sharing how communities are sustaining and building on the impact of Big Local beyond the life of the programme.
Wednesday 23 September
Online
Registration will open soon
Inclusive resident-led work is at the heart of Big Local, with this session focusing on what it takes for community-led programmes to be genuinely inclusive and representative.
This session explores Big Local approaches to representation, power and inclusive partnership working in community‑led projects, highlighting both the strengths of these approaches and the challenges faced by partnership groups.
It will examine how internal policies and practices helped ensure partnerships were inclusive, as well as how projects promoted wider community inclusion, including engaging those often described as “hard to reach.”
Participants will learn how partnerships supported residents and community groups to participate meaningfully and equitably in local decision‑making, and for funders what mechanisms they can put in place to ensure inclusion in their work.
Date TBC
Online
Rural areas face distinct challenges when it comes to sourcing funding and influencing. This session will provide Big Local examples of long‑term resident‑driven work taking place to improve community cohesion and opportunities in rural places
Using practical examples from Big Local, the session will help participants consider how funding and support models can better enable sustainable, resident‑led leadership in geographically dispersed settings, particularly through a strengths‑based approach that builds on local assets and capabilities.
Funders will gain insight into best practice when supporting rural, coastal and dispersed communities and learn what specific types of investment, capacity‑building and flexibility are required to enable organisations and residents to thrive.
Wednesday 30 September
Our Sale West Big Local
Registration will open soon
This session focuses on how community voice, participation and strong social infrastructure can shape more effective local action and programmes.
Drawing on insights from Our Sale West Big Local we will explore how support infrastructure was built and adapted over time, what that support entailed, and what this means for designing the right wrap‑around support in future programmes. We will also be joined by colleagues from 10GM and Live Well to further dive into how important social infrastructure is to community-led programmes and initiatives for communities to design their own services and address local needs. Overall, it will offer practical guidance for funders, infrastructure bodies and community organisations on how to design support that strengthens locally led work while remaining accountable to the wider community.
