June 28th 2022
National Lottery fund helps 150 areas to develop community
A £217m National Lottery fund has reached the milestone of helping to create lasting change in communities across 150 areas of the UK.
Resident-led funding programme, Big Local, allowed community leaders to spend £1.15m across 10-15 years on whatever they decided would be most suitable for locals.
The programme will be closing in 2026, with all 150 areas set to complete the delivery of their plans over the next three to four years.
One area 20 miles north of Newcastle in a former coal mining area near the coast, Cresswell, Ellington, Linton, Lynemouth (CELL), have already delivered a wide range of activities and initiatives.
Matt Leach, Local Trust’s chief executive, said: ‘Big Local proves that the best way to deliver change in local communities is to provide them with the time and resources they need and trust local people to make their own decisions on what is best for their area. The amazing achievements in Cresswell, Ellington, Linton and Lynemouth show just what can be achieved by putting power and money directly in the hands of the community.’
Other achievements by CELL Big Local includes fundraising for new football pitches and a clubhouse, the creation of a Scouts group, which now has over 80 members, and the introduction of play and fitness equipment to parks.
£500 was also given to a Northumberland Rivers Trust beach clean-up event, involving 75 volunteers and raising awareness for pollution coming from an abandoned landfill site.
This inspired a £7.5m cliff restoration project in Lynemouth Bay, located within a Marine Conservation Zone, as people were concerned about the welfare of beach users and marine life in the area.
Cresswell’s at-risk 14th century Pele Tower has also benefitted from the scheme, with a £25,000 Big Local grant and £750,000 of the Heritage Lottery Fund going to the project, meaning it has now been fully restored and has become a historical attraction.
Heather Wallace, vice chair of CELL Big Local, said: ‘Residents used to feel this was a ‘forgotten area’ that lacked investment. Now there’s a real sense of collaboration and community spirit. It made a huge difference that we, as residents, decided where the money was needed and what mattered to the people who live here. Our confidence has grown so much and there are some real improvements in the area. We’re much stronger now, and we’re determined to carry on.’
Photo by Bruce Edwards