In July 2024, North meets South Big Local in Essex closed out of the Big Local programme. Their legacy includes transforming the Tantony Green play area and supporting numerous community initiatives, such as children’s groups and a boxing club.
As we celebrate 50 areas closing out of Big Local, we spoke to Roy Figes, chair of North meets South, to hear his reflections and insights for other areas.
Deciding if and how to continue beyond Big Local
When [Big Local] was explained to me, I thought it was a terrific idea.
Marks Gate is the sort of place that has never had a big organisation that can apply for money and still doesn’t. It would be lovely if they could do it all over again, or something similar, but it will always be small schemes [in this area] because people move and have children.
As we were closing down, we started to realise what we would like to keep going.
Specifically for North meets South, we haven’t got any big ongoing projects, everything we’ve done has mostly been on a small scale. We’ve worked out the things that we shouldn’t do and are better able to decide what we should be doing.
We talked about continuing and I think we might allow ourselves to be on call for advice and support. And because we’ve made those relationships ourselves, we’ll do that as individuals.
We aren’t going to be a particular or new group, but I do think we will meet again.
Planning in the final year of the programme
We planned for the final year, but you lose some of your impetus. It has been tough at times, although not quite as traumatic as I imagined it could have been. In the past we would hold meetings and there would be people coming, trying to excite us, but when there’s no money to give, they don’t come.
I think it’s about communication. Be upfront, be honest. Be clear about what you’re doing but be kind as well.”
It hasn’t been easy to tell people that there’s no more money. That’s hard. As chair, that’s been my job, to write the letters and talk to people. We’ve tried to do it well enough in advance, so people would have the opportunity to plan, to get something else up and running, to apply to get some other funding.
I don’t think it’s been traumatic for most people, though people will be disappointed that it’s going to close. I think we’ve handled [closing out] as well as we could to prepare people.
I think it’s about communication. Be upfront, be honest. Be clear about what you’re doing but be kind as well.
Celebrating and defining your legacy
You need to decide how you want to close out. We’re going to have a beano in the park. And then I think the final thing we’ll do in the community is bring people together we’ve worked with that can talk about what they’ve done, but also use it as an opportunity to say thank you.
It’s a nicer estate. We are not claiming credit for it. But I think we’ve helped to make it one. We haven’t blown our own trumpet and some people won’t know who is behind it and doing it. But it’s about having things for [the community] to do.
I think what we’ve offered people is self-confidence. It’s nebulous, and you can’t calculate it. But most people I meet, or who report back, say the people who got involved in the things that we’ve done feel better for doing it.
Interview by Ryan Herman.
Top photo: Tantony Green, North meets South Big Local. Credit: Local Trust/Claudia Leisinger
Big Local partnerships can access support and guidance to help you close out of the programme. And find out how to continue getting support to deliver community-led change after you’ve closed out of the Big Local programme, through these legacy network offers.