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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 | 9am to 1pm | 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
Thursday 17 September | 10am to 12pm | 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.
Tuesday 22 September | 9am to 2pm | L30 Community Centre
What can long-term, flexible funding make possible when communities have the time and trust to lead?
Step into the community at L30 Community Centre and see the legacy of Big Local in action. Hear directly about how long-term investment has supported local people to shape priorities, build leadership and develop solutions rooted in their community.
Through the visit and reflections from partners, we’ll explore what sustained, flexible funding has made possible, what communities have been able to achieve with the time and trust to lead, and what this can teach us about designing future funding programmes.
We’ll also look beyond the life of Big Local, with input from the Liverpool City Region Big Local Beacon’s consortium, a cluster of five organisations working across four former Big Local areas, alongside Capacity, who are supporting them to deliver this work.
Chaired by Sefton CVS, the session will offer practical learning for funders, commissioners, infrastructure organisations and community organisations interested in long-term funding, community-led decision-making and how communities can sustain and build on their work beyond the life of a funded programme.
Registration will open soon
Wednesday 23 September | 10am to 12pm | Online
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.
Wednesday 30 September | 11.30am to 2.30pm | Our Sale West Big Local
What does the right support look like when communities are given the space to lead?
See community-led work in action at Our Sale West Big Local and hear directly about how social infrastructure, relationships and local knowledge have helped residents shape activity and respond to local needs.
Rather than simply exploring these ideas in theory, this session will take you into a Big Local community to see how support has been built and adapted over time, what that support has looked like in practice and what we can learn from the experience.
We’ll be joined by colleagues from 10GM and Live Well to explore the wider role of social infrastructure in community-led programmes, including how communities can be supported to design their own services and respond to local priorities.
The session will offer practical learning for funders, commissioners, infrastructure bodies and community organisations, with the opportunity to consider what effective wrap-around support looks like and how it can strengthen locally led work.
Registration will open soon
