Big Local Rep’s update
April – June 2016
This has been a productive time, settling in with the new plan, approved by Local Trust.
Looking back
The second plan running for three years has been approved by Local Trust. This is a tribute to the leadership and vision of the partnership group, translated into practical action to help make Allenton an even better place to live. It builds on a core of successful work in the first plan and responds to new challenges and opportunities. The revised boundary of the Allenton Big Local has also been approved, making more sense of where people feel part of Allenton. The Spendometer shows overall investment so far and the first payment of £155,604.23 to cover the first six months of the new plan had been received fromLocal Trust.
Monthly meetings are well attended by the partnership and are the main means to review progress and develop ideas. With the three year plan approved, the partnership is keen to keep its edge, to not get stuck in routine and has built in issues to explore in more detail over the coming year to ensure relevance and awareness of emerging concerns.
The partnership has taken part in two national evaluations this last quarter: the partnership survey across all 150 areas with findings out soon and the Impact study – what difference are we making. The research is now complete and you can find the summary report and full report on the Local Trust website here. A film crew arrives in Allenton in mid July to capture some of the activity and successes to contribute to a national Big Local film.
There is steady progress on the St Martin’s Church Community Hub, with a sub-group meeting regularly to support progress. SLAs and reports are published online, with one called Success for Gail showing the success of the work club. The partnership is interested in recording and sharing the additional value achieved through Allenton Big Local funding and has started to ask partners to record this in a systematic way. This fits with learning arising nationally across Big Local.
Sharing the story remains important to the partnership. Film has been used with young people at the Enthusiasm Youth Club. The latest newsletter has been published and distributed. The partnership is also mindful of the need to keep in touch with the elected politicians and recently wrote and sent a recent newsletter to Margaret Becket, the local MP.
Looking ahead
The coming months will see an embedding of the plan, agreeing an annual plan of events throughout the year, rather than the previous focus on one principle event in the summer. The community hub should see the architect’s drawings complete and approved to move toward construction.
Working well
The link between plan and delivery remains very strong, with the need to ensure the partnership remains open to the challenges of a changing environment. Reporting is outstanding with a rich array of approaches, including newsletters, stories and film, backed up by active social media.