Regional clusters

What are regional clusters?

Regional clusters help groups of Big Local areas that are geographically close to one another to meet up, share learning and to network.

Events are organised and facilitated by Big Local Reps, but the content, format and location of events are led and agreed by members.

Events are designed to promote even deeper collaboration between Big Local areas and provide space for residents to tackle a broad range of issues relevant to their region.

As the regional clusters are designed to connect areas based on location, areas cannot be part of more than one regional cluster. We encourage areas to contribute to setting the agenda for events in their ‘region’ so that content is relevant to them.

Regional clusters aim to:

be a safe space for people to share challenges, explore solutions and work practically together
offer flexible events that respond to local needs/interests closer to you
put greater emphasis on networking, making meaningful connections with others nearby and sharing with others involved in Big Local
be a safe space for people to share challenges, explore solutions and work practically together
enable areas to identify opportunities for collaboration, co-funding, and other shared work
provide an accessible platform for people new to Big Local to participate in networking activities with their peers, and be a local offer for those who don’t feel able to or do not wish to attend national events

To connect to or find out more about your regional cluster, identify your nearest group and contact the relevant Rep facilitator:

North West and Yorkshire – Rob Billson rob@new-routes.co.uk
North East and Cumbria – Jeanette Harold jeanette.harold@continuumcic.co.uk
West Midlands+ – Chris Allen chris.allen@compass.uk.net
London – Sian Penner sian.penner@gmail.com
South West – Sarah Donohoe sarah.donohoe@localtrust.org.uk
Kent and Sussex – Jim Boot jimbootcp@gmail.com
East of England – Sarah Donohoe sarah.donohoe@localtrust.org.uk
South Central – Sarah Donohoe sarah.donohoe@localtrust.org.uk

To find out more about the regional clusters or if there isn’t a regional cluster near you, please get in touch with Sarah Donohoe at sarah.donohoe@localtrust.org.uk

Regional cluster events are open to anyone volunteering or working on Big Local. Like all learning and networking opportunities provided by Local Trust, events are free for Big Local areas to attend and we will cover travel costs for residents.