Elmton, Creswell and Hodthorpe Big Local

Year 2 Partnership Plan Review

November 2016

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IntroductionLooking back at the 2015 review, we reflected then on what we had both achieved and learnt in our first year. It is worth noting that actions have been taken on almost all of the key issues/areas identified at this time. For example, ’securing strong and effective engagement early on in the 10 year programme’ and the ‘need for an effective communications plan’ were just two of the items highlighted. During this year, we have commissioned two separate organisations to help us with this work. Although we aren’t quite there yet, the work is ongoing and demonstrates the effective use of the review process harnessed with the support of our Big Local rep and paid staff. The one element highlighted last year which we have struggled to make progress on is recruiting more volunteers.This year, we have, once again, all taken part in a review day, held on Saturday 8th October, at Limestone House. The discussions and workshops undertaken at this review day, together with the ongoing community consultation and the online survey put together by Alister, our Big Local rep, have informed the content of this 2016 document. The information gathered will also help to form the basis of our Year 3 project plan and budget. The following review relates directly to the nine questions the Local Trust requires Big Local areas to report and evaluate progress against.

The PlanWhat has the Big Local area done against what was in the plan and what impact has it had?By revisiting the original community plan and using the subsequent Year 2 Plan Proposals, ECHBL can report progress and action against all four themes and most budget headings. Many of the activities undertaken are examples of cross thematic projects. A total of twenty projects were included in the plan for this year, 2016, of those, eight have been completed and will not be taken forward to next year. Two additional projects were added, possible office premises for ECHBL and provision of a defibrillator for each of the three villages. Eight projects are to be carried forward/continued and will be included in our plan for 2017, together with

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new ideas borne out of consultation and experiences of the last two years of the Big Local. Examples of ECHBL’s progress against the 2016 plan includes:-Increasing Community Spirit – Hodthorpe Christmas Lights and Hodthorpe Scarecrow Festival are examples of activities which have brought the community together. The Scarecrow Festival attracted around eighty entrants as well as locals and visitors into the village for a day of celebration, entertainment and food. The festival was preceded by two workshops facilitated by an experienced artist who supported people in the scarecrow making. Sufficient funds were made on the day to ensure the event can be repeated next year on a larger scale.

Hodthorpe Scarecrow Festival, September 2016

These two events (together with the successful Little Monday Club) also demonstrates the progress being made in including Hodthorpe as part of the Big Local area – last year’s report identified the village felt ‘left out’.

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As part of a national campaign, Creswell hosted a Big Local Big Lunch event in partnership with Public Health. The Big Lunch event took place in Creswell in support of the Eden Project: National Big Lunch Event. The event brings people together in the community to participate in a social lunch, engage in activities and meet people from local services.  The aim of the event is to meet new people, encourage social capital and networks to develop a sense of well-being and resilience within the wider community. Numerous activities and information leaflets were provided to encourage local families to gain awareness and engage with local services. The activities included food tasting, crafts, dance and sport. Derbyshire County Council (Adult Education), Elmton with Creswell Parish Council, and Bolsover District Council (Village Games Team), were also involved in making the day a success. Despite the bad weather on the day, 80% of people attending described the day as excellent, 10% very good and 10% good. All took part in both the physical activities offered and the healthy food taster. The picnic, however, had to be held indoors to escape the rain!

Again, taking on board comments from last year, an event specifically for people aged Fifty Five plus was held on 2nd October, as part of the international Silver Sunday celebrations. This successful event was organised in partnership with Junction Arts (magic drawing workshop), Bolsover District Council (Village Games Team), Creswell Tai Chi Group, the Working Together to Support Older People Project and Clowne and District Community Transport. Held in the Church Rooms, the forty-two attendees were provided with door to door transport, had a two course hot lunch and offered a variety of activities and music during the day. Some just took the opportunity to catch up and natter with friends and neighbours they had lost contact with for over twenty years! Big Locals financial contribution towards this event was taken from the monies originally allocated to the Summer Holiday Film Club project which didn’t take place due to lack of interest (decision made following feedback from a questionnaire distributed to parents/children via school). Below are event quotes, October 2016:- ‘It was very personal to me as my grandma and granddad were on quite a few photos from the historic board and I never knew they were so involved in the local community’.

‘I have had feedback from some of the ladies from sheltered accommodation and they had a great time and would not have been able to attend if it were not for door to door transport and they asked me to pass on their thanks’.

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Silver Sunday Event, 2 nd October 2016

Following last year’s feedback, the number of Summer Holiday Family Trips/Outings in 2016 was increased from four to six, some on week days and two at the weekend. This proved to be less successful as unfortunately most of the trips were undersubscribed which resulted in a considerable financial loss, only a nominal charge was passed on to families. The most successful visit was to Skegness with the coach being fully booked. We have had feedback from attendees who thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would otherwise not have been able to afford to go to the seaside.

‘Good things are happening with trips and events, maybe we need to look at revenue’ – review day quote, October 2016

The other main event discussed at the review for inclusion in next year’s plan is a Village Carnival, providing one huge event to appeal to all age groups and replicating the ethos of past Community Spirit. Other local groups and organisations/agencies will be asked to join in organising this partnership event, lending their expertise and knowledge in steering through the complexities of such a project, e.g. insurance, licenses required, health & safety issues, etc. Both the Halloween event and Christmas activity are on track to be organised with the support of local young people who have, as last year, expressed an interest in being involved. We are currently working towards establishing a Youth Forum and will invite them along to our Sub Group Meetings for their fresh views, ideas and enthusiasm.Environmental Improvements – 2016 has seen this small sub group be extremely successful in delivering projects it set out to achieve. This is due, in large part, to having a proactive lead person steering the way forward with the Orientation/Information Boards for the three villages and Renovation of the Church Wall – which now presents a much better appearance to visitors entering the village along the main high

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street; for local businesses and improves the physical environment for residents.

“year 2 will concentrate on high street improvements as part of the ‘offer’ to attract tourists into the village” - year 1 Plan review document

The Grow Your Own Big Local Project has proved more difficult to make headway with, mainly due to the size and condition of the allotment plot together with losing the original group of people who were heading up the project. However, the preparation work is now on schedule to be completed by the end of the year and planning is in progress for next year’s phase. The Creswell Parish Clean Up continues as part of a two year agreement with the Parish Council to jointly employ a litter picker. Feedback shows local residents have reacted positively to the cleanliness of the streets. The challenge now will be to ensure people are prepared to work both individually and together, through groups such as the Model Village Residents Association, to keep the village attractive for both residents and visitors to the area. ‘We are writing to ask you to pass on the thanks of the Model Village Neighbourhood and Friends Group to the Big Local team for the work being done in and around Creswell and Creswell Model Village and through the employment of a litter picker.The work being done to clean up and improve our area has a positive community impact raising the aspirations of residents and the ‘pride’ in where they live’ – quote from a letter received from Creswell Model Village group, February 2016.

‘a happier and healthier environment with individuals proud of where they live and able to demonstrate positive change’ (page 7, Community Plan).

Improving the Local Economy - this theme group saw a number of Feasibility Studies added to the project proposals for 2016. The Broadband Feasibility in particular has been very successful. We are pleased to report that all residents and businesses in Elmton, Creswell and Hodthorpe now have access to super high speed broadband. Elmton was out on a limb with BT quoting over £30,000 to install a Green cabinet in the village. Funding from ECHBL enabled a temporary connection via Pine Media allowing residents to experience the speed. This resulted in the

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10+ customers required signing up for a new service. Elmton now receives broadband from neighbouring Clowne where fibre is connected to a small aerial on a barn, the barn transmits via an interim station to an aerial on the public house. Residents can now receive high speed broadband via this aerial as well as Wi-Fi. ECHBL would be happy to share this solution with other communities. The Properties to Rent and the Empty Buildings Feasibilities have not been actioned at this stage, due to the sub group concentrating their efforts on the Supporting People into Work Project, but will be carried forward to next year. However, feasibilities have commenced on the Caravan Park and, from last year’s plan, the Land Train. Currently work is ongoing on both of these and research will continue into next year with the help, guidance and expertise of organisations such as the Caravan Club, Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council, East Lindsey District Council. As Mablethorpe is also a Big Local area, there is the opportunity for mutual support and sharing of experiences. Last year the partnership reported the Apprenticeship Scheme proposal had been a learning experience rather than achieving its expected outcomes. However, due to the hard work and commitment of the sub group members, the renamed Supporting People into Work project has seen a huge success this year. Working with Job Centre Plus, Bolsover District Council and Babington College, the real need was identified as being a bespoke pre traineeship programme for ‘hard to reach young people’ who would benefit from a locally delivered course, providing them with the skills and confidence to progress to either a funded traineeship, apprenticeship or paid employment. The first programme, recently completed, attracted twelve young people. Ten young people completed the course, one dropped out due to ill health and the other finding paid employment. The final qualification rate for the course was 70.3% (including Maths and English). Four of the twelve have subsequently been successful in getting paid employment, three have progressed into further education courses and three currently have no destination. The training provider, Babington College are continuing to support these three students and is tracking the progress of the other trainees.Student Case Study

Background: A local 25 year old male, who is enrolled on the Creswell Traineeship Programme, volunteered his time and skills to support the Leisure Team with Sporting activities for the families attending the Big Lunch Event.

The student previously attended school and carried out an interactive media course at college. This led to employment, which unfortunately ceased after 3 years due to a disability from an injury. Whilst unemployed the Job Centre sign posted him to the Traineeship

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Programme, which he is currently attending weekly. He is also attending a Teaching Assistant Course with Adult Education and has sourced a placement volunteering in the local school, supporting children within the classroom environment. Following completion of both courses he now has the aspiration, increased skills, and confidence to seek further employment. The student quoted ‘I really enjoyed sports at school and still enjoy it now; however I had difficulty with my arm so stopped some of the sports. Now I am happy to get involved and support local sports and youth teams.’

Role in Big Lunch Event: He attended the Big Lunch Event as a volunteer supporting Bolsover District Council Leisure Team to set up and deliver the physical activity element of the day. He was observed as liaising positively with both community members and professionals. He was able to adapt activities according to need and encourage participation despite the torrential rainfall.

(Source – Louise Hall, Public Health Development Worker, DCC, June 2016)

The Small Grants Scheme – has attracted only 5 applicants this year, with grants of £2,066.50 to date being given. An awards evening was held on Friday, 8th July to celebrate with local groups, but even this publicity has not produced any additional interest. At the review day it was agreed to keep this scheme in the project proposals for next year, to allocate a specific budget to advertise the small grants and to simplify the application process.

Small Grants Award Evening, 8 th July 2016

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Increased Leisure and Youth Activities – the Youth Engagement element of this group was combined with the Community Engagement element of the Making it Happen Group early on in the year. It was agreed by the partnership to commission an experienced organisation to conduct this work on our behalf. The LTO helped to draft a brief, the advert went out to tender in April and the contracted organisation began the work in June. This means we currently have a dedicated community engagement worker 2.5 days per week until the end of May 2017 (commissioned organisation) and also a Community Champion (undertaking community development training) 1 day per week employed by ECHBL through our employing body. Their work to date includes supporting young people to organise the Halloween Event, consultation with individuals and local groups via activities, planned events, etc. approximately a hundred+ people have given their views and feedback which is collated and reported back to ECHBL at their monthly meetings. The Getting Creative Project, now called Learn It, Do It, Share It, was slow to start as there was no lead person for the project. Again proving that partnership working is mostly effective, working with the expertise of the FirstArt team the project is now underway with a planned programme of activities engaging with a core of twelve participants including teenagers through to seniors. The community groups targeted for this pilot project being The Hodthorpe Monday Club, ECHBL, Creswell Tai Chi and Connect Creswell (young mums). The evaluation of this pilot will inform the direction the project takes in 2017, e.g. what cost per session is achievable without being prohibitive to the community.

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Both the Little Monday Club and the Bringing Generations Together Project have proved to be a success. The Little Monday Club offers children educational, social and fun experiences in a safe, stimulating environment. The programme of activities is varied and includes arts, crafts, games, age appropriate speakers (e.g. Tudor Times with costumes, RNLI interactive role play, etc). The club has twenty plus members on its register, a waiting list and regularly attracts approximately sixteen children per session. They are encouraged to use their imagination, learn something new, interpret instructions and interact positively with their peers. Following staff/sub group evaluation and feedback from parents the format has been changed during the year and in 2017 the plan is to expand and develop a similar club in Creswell.

Bringing Generations Together is an intergenerational project where students from the local secondary school support older people to develop computer skills which in turn enables them to be less isolated and/or dependant. Examples are Skyping friends and relatives, ordering repeat prescriptions and shopping online, emailing, etc. To date twenty-three people have taken part in the programme and there is a waiting list for places. The flexibility of the project allows people to attend as many

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sessions as they require to build the necessary skills and confidence. Continuation of the project is planned for 2017. Last year Making it Happen was introduced as an overarching heading for delivering the work of ECHBL. It encompasses the Paid Support Workers, Partnership Costs, Engagement, Marketing and Communications. As proposed at the 2015 review, an additional member of staff has been recruited to the post of Administrator working alongside and supporting both the Partnership and Development Co-ordinator. As both posts are part time, the salaries budget has not increased and will remain the same for next year. However, it has been recommended to the partnership, that consideration be given to including in the staffing budget, contingency for any potential redundancy payment post two year service. Discussions will take place with the employing body to identify a suitable sum, albeit is not anticipated that this will be needed at the present.Engagement has been discussed previously within the Youth and Leisure heading. During the year, a marketing company has been commissioned to develop a Communications Strategy for ECHBL. Identified at the review day as a priority for 2017 is to establish a new communications sub group to action and drive forward this strategy and review the work completed to date. It is envisaged the Community Champion will work closely with this group and will be set key tasks around improving communications and marketing. The website, Facebook Page and monthly half page publicity in the local free news magazine are working well. The review day gave members the opportunity to consider the successes of the last year and what has been achieved rather than focus on negative aspects of what still needs to be done. Looking back at the projects outlined above the partnership have realised many positive outcomes and successes thus far in the Big Local process. What money have you spent? 2016 budget figures were indicative of the agreed project proposals. £20,000 was earmarked for projects which were borne out of a demonstrated need during the year and not specifically identified at the start of the financial year or during the planning process. The Community Spirit theme has been, for the most part, on track with anticipated spend. The Summer Holiday Film Club project was replaced by the Silver Sunday event. Big Local Nights Out project has seen an underspend. Environmental Improvements have stayed in line with projected spend, with two of the four projects being completed, the Church Wall Renovation and the three villages Orientation Boards, the remaining

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two, Creswell Parish Clean Up and the Grow Your Own Big Local Allotment project continues into next year.The Small Grants Scheme has seen significant underspend, and with the agreement of the Local Trust, £6633 was transferred from this ‘pot’ to a new initiative aimed at providing a defibrillator in each of the three villages. This followed an unfortunate incident earlier in the year when a life could have been saved if such equipment were available. The Local Economy theme has realised an underspend on the four feasibility studies, however the Broadband feasibility achieving its aims under budget. The success of the Supporting People into Work programme saw an additional project proposal submitted to the partnership for consideration. As the benefit to the employability of local young people was clear and proven, the proposal was agreed and funded from the Activities to Support Working Together budget of £20,000, as was the costs in association with securing office premises. The Leisure and Youth theme group has successfully stayed in budget with their four projects. The Little Monday Club has seen a slight underspend, the remaining, Getting Creative, Bringing Generations Together and Youth Engagement have spent as per year 2 budget agreement. All four projects will continue next year.There has been an overspend on Partnership costs, due primarily to the introduction of a room hire charge for ECHBL meetings held at Limestone House. The Communications and Marketing, Community Engagement and Support Worker costs are as the projected spend. A full breakdown of this year’s spend will be detailed in the annual budget summary provided by CVP, our Local Trusted Organisation. The year 2 funding, drawn down by CVP, will enable us to continue with our current committed project spend until the Year 3 budget is approved.What have you learnt?Group discussion held at the review day enabled members to reflect on what has been learnt and how to put processes /procedures in place to ensure we move forward in a positive way. Commissioning two extensive pieces of work during the year, i.e. the Marketing & Communication Plan and Youth & Community Engagement, highlighted the importance of ensuring a clear brief for, and management of, the work undertaken on behalf of ECHBL. SMART targets and specific outcomes which are relevant to the project need to be identified and shared with the commissioned organisation at the start of the process. Working with and acknowledging the expertise of partner organisations has been key to the success of many of ECHBL projects this year. Last year we struggled to make progress with the

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apprentice/ traineeship programme, this year the project has exceeded expectations through working in partnership with, and using the specialist knowledge of, Bolsover District Council, Job Centre Plus and Babington College. Other joint projects include Creswell Parish Clean Up, matched funded by Elmton with Creswell Parish Council and the Getting Creative Project developed with the support of FirstArt. Again, the traineeship programme, together with the Bringing Generations Together project has demonstrated to the partnership the benefits of locally delivered community based projects in helping to develop skills, raise aspirations, build confidence and increase self-esteem. The partnership recognise some of these projects will never be self-sustaining, e.g. the Little Monday Club, but the community benefit outweighs the cost implication. As part of the communications strategy, ECHBL learnt early on the importance of sharing good news stories in order to engage local residents. We are now getting better at doing this as an integral part of project planning, although recognise there is still a way to go to ensure community engagement and ownership. The successful Creswell Parish Clean Up is reliant on a paid worker, the emphasis now needs to be on encouraging local residents to take ownership of the project by keeping the village litter free and through working in partnership with community groups such as the Model Village Residents Association. Thus community ownership and community engagement go hand in hand, ensuring ECHBL is truly a community led initiative. We have learnt through the struggling Grow Your Own BL project the need for ongoing support for new activities/initiatives, especially for inexperienced volunteers/communities.

‘We need to consider how we can be more enabling and build the capacity of local communities’ – review day quote, October 2016

As previously stated, the small grants scheme has failed to attract many applicants this year. Feedback indicates the application process is too complex and time consuming for local groups. The intention is to simplify both the application form and process. Uptake will be monitored to ensure the changes have been of benefit to local groups submitting applications.

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PROJECT ORGANISATION AMOUNT APPROVED PANEL DATETai Chi Tai Chi Group Creswell £250 15/2/16Equipment Church Room Hall

Mothers Union £374.50 3/5/16

Seating Fox Green Creswell Parish Council

£441 27/9/16

Training – Purchase 2 x Laptops & Access

Limestone House Creswell

£500 27/9/16

Purchase soft furnishings

Creswell Juniors School

£500 To be confirmed

‘The small grants increase community spirit but not community engagement’ – review day quote, October 2016

The problem of ‘spreading ourselves too thinly’ was highlighted during the review and it was agreed the partnership needs additional, active members to help undertake the work of the BL projects. Some sub groups are without a lead person and some members are leading on multiple groups. In order to address this imbalance it was agreed to reorganise or combine some sub groups to better reflect the projects being delivered. The result being perhaps not taking on as much – but achieving more. A huge learning experience has been in the acquisition of premises for ECHBL. Our current office accommodation is now too small for the number of staff, members and volunteers using the space and also does not give BL a high visible presence in the community. The process of researching available premises, the time taken for contracts to be drawn up, checked by solicitors, approved by the LTO Board, planning permission for alterations, etc, has proved to be extremely lengthy. The process began in April and is not yet complete.

‘it takes time dealing with buildings and can raise issues we aren’t used to dealing with ’ - review day quote, October 2016

Significant learning has taken place during the year, and will continue to do so as the partnership develops new projects. The opportunity to attend both regional events, e.g. the Grassland and Hasmoor Big Local peer support network on 5th November which was a continuation of the learning and networking event hosted by ECHBL at Creswell Crags in November 2015, and national events, e.g. Learning and Networking Event for LTO’s and BL’s to be held on 7th December, benefits both those

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members attending and engages others with the feedback reports. Where possible members have taken part in these events, but it is important to recognise that, as volunteers, often other life commitments mean people have limited availability to attend full day events and the travel time involved. Importantly, the BL partnership, as a group of individuals, has come together and learnt to collectively make decisions which shapes the vision for the local area, as set out in the plan. Have you progressed on your vision and priorities?The Community Plan approved and adopted in November 2014, states the vision for the area as being: ‘to create the sense of community spirit of bygone eras – not to replicate the era but to have a new vision which combines all the community cohesion of the past with positive new ideas to generate money into the area’ (page 6 Community Plan).

Results of the online survey conducted immediately prior to the review day shows 62.5% of people completing the survey think good progress has been made in events to increase community spirit. The partnership has discussed in depth during this year the need to include projects which have the potential to generate income to ensure there is a legacy post BL funding. Working towards this goal, project proposal forms for Year 3 not only asks projects to demonstrate how they meet the priorities and targets of ECHBL but also requests information on other sources of funding/match funding, partnership investment and income generation opportunities. However, to be clear, this process doesn’t exclude projects requesting their total costs as each is scored on merit and fit with the vision and themes. Significant progress has been made within the Environmental Improvements priority, with projects undertaken which have directly reflected the issues highlighted in the plan, e.g. Church Wall renovation on the high street, Creswell Clean Up and the play area which was completed last year but has received a small grant this year following requests to add a seating area.‘Making the area attractive, safe and desirable place to live; for example making the shopping area more attractive, improving play areas and community clean ups ’ (page 7 Community Plan). Improving the Local Economy sites the uniqueness of Creswell Crags and developing tourism as a priority. It was envisaged the Carriage Project developed last year would achieve this aim. Unfortunately a series of issues and problems, e.g. weight of the carriage, the horse’s ill health, etc, means this goal has not been realised. For Year 3, the Land Train idea will be revisited, and research into this project has already begun. This also has the potential for income generation. The progress of

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the Apprentice/Traineeship programme has been well documented above. Increased Leisure Activities - ‘particularly for children and young people. This is about a range of activities available as well as the opening hours’ (Page 8 Community Plan)

Some progress has been made here, e.g. Little Monday Club (after school hours), summer trips, Halloween Event (organised in conjunction with young people). The results of the Community and Youth Engagement consultation currently being commissioned will determine what is provided during the next twelve months of the programme. As the consultation began almost half way through the year, progress is not as advanced as anticipated. ‘some of the projects the community have identified are achievable in partnership with key organisations’ (page 8 Community Plan).

Partnership work has been successfully achieved during the year, with agencies such as, Public Health, Derbyshire County Council and Bolsover District Council for the Big Local Big Lunch Event; Bolsover District Council, Primary & Secondary Schools and Elmton with Creswell Parish Council for the Halloween Event. Do you need to refresh your vision and priorities?The community engagement/consultation undertaken thus far demonstrates the vision and priorities remain the same. Young people are identifying the same issues as highlighted in the original plan, i.e. improving outdoor space particularly play areas and improved leisure facilities (page 9, Community Plan). To date, play improvements have focussed on Creswell, 2017 will need to ensure discussions take place with relevant partners to consider similar developments in Hodthorpe. In consultation undertaken at the Hodthorpe Scarecrow Festival both adults and young people identified the need for:-

More and updated play equipment More equipment for younger children New play surface Better seating close to the play equipment

The Year 3 (2017) Project Proposals agreed by the partnership in preparation for submission to the Local Trust continue to reflect the original vision and priorities. In particular the partnership are considering projects which have the potential to deliver the “positive new ideas to generate money into the area.” (Community Plan, page 6)

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“Finance will be at the centre of all and any future visions and priorities if we want to leave a legacy for future generations on the million pounds award by the Lottery” – partnership survey 2016

One such initiative being researched is investment into a consortium led project to develop a Leisure and Wellbeing Centre in the old Creswell Leisure Centre building which is due to close to the public in November 2016. Public consultation has taken place and there is evidence of significant local support for a centre which will provide a gym, multi games area, soft play, mining heritage, etc. There is also the potential to incorporate local training and apprenticeship opportunities. Support in principle has been agreed by ECHBL, the next stage will be to evidence an achievable business case to both Local Trust and other potential funders for this 500k project. It is recognised this is a significant undertaking both financially and in terms of commitment to delivery. As part of a partnership approach, expertise and support will be provided by officers from Bolsover District Council. A Community Trust will be established with ECHBL having a minimum of two voting seats on the Board. ECHBL has also stipulated the need for local people to be allocated seats on the governing body to ensure a true community led initiative.Other such income generation initiatives to be considered in 2017 include the Caravan Park feasibility and Land Train (linking the village to Creswell Crags, a world heritage site) bringing with them with tourism opportunities. The geographical location of ECHBL makes it easily accessible to the Peak District, Sherwood Forest, etc.The recently agreed amalgamation of both the Leisure/Local Economy sub groups and the Youth/Events sub groups well reflects the project proposals which are to be submitted to Local Trust for Year 3 development. Elmton’s Going for Gold is a new project for 2017. Sitting within the Environmental Improvements theme the aim is ‘To make Elmton an even better place to live and visit’ and to improve the attraction of Elmton Festival for visitors and therefore make even more money for cancer care charities eg Marie Curie and Elmton Church. To attract even more visitors to Elmton over the year by organising a series of linked projects.Other projects identified for inclusion in next year budget plan and a continuation of current projects are:-

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Community Spirit – Events (with a reduced budget and concentrating mainly on larger activities to attract a wide age range, e.g. Creswell Carnival) and the Small Grants Scheme.Improving the Local Economy – Supporting People into Work with an additional traineeship programme planned and an Empty Buildings Feasibility StudyEnvironmental Improvements – Creswell Parish Clean Up (two year project, match funded by Elmton with Creswell Parish Council) and Grow Your Own Big Local (allotment project). Improved Leisure and Youth Facilities – Little Monday Club (expansion of the initial project); Learn It, Do It, Share It (originally called Getting Creative and now match funded by FirstArt); the Intergeneration Project (with a waiting list for available places). Making it Happen – Marketing and Communications; Support Team; Community Engagement and Premises.

Big Local Outcomes How does your progress relate to the achievements of the four Big Local outcomes?76% of respondents of the online survey states the partnership reflects the Big Local area to a good/great extent. 56% felt their views are listened to and taken into consideration when making decisions. These are important elements in the ability to identify local needs, take action in response to them and enable the community to make a difference to the needs it prioritises.Efforts continue to engage more with the local communities and, as already detailed, work is underway with larger scale consultation, communication and providing a visual presence on the high street with drop in facility. A core group of young people have been identified to help form the Little Big Local, Youth Forum – the basis of ‘tomorrows’ Big Local membership.The informal learning via project development during this year has helped partnership members to be clear about the future focus of ECHBL, the need to recruit new members who can bring additional skills, experiences and time commitment and the importance of working with agencies which can effect positive change. Members have also taken the opportunity to attend regional Local Trust workshops and local events organised by neighbouring Big Local areas where they can share experiences and successes.

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When asked in the survey ‘from your perspective, is our area an even better place to live as a result of what is happening through Big Local? ’ 40% said yes and 60% said it was still too soon to say.

Do you need a new or revised plan, or will you continue with the existing plan?As the vision and priorities remain the same and the projects identified for 2017 have a good ‘fit’ within the themes of the 2014 Community Plan, ECHBL will continue with the existing plan. However, it is recognised plans are working documents which require regular monitoring, evaluating and reviewing by the partnership. As already highlighted, the agreed emphasis is on projects which combine ‘community cohesion with positive new ideas to generate money into the area’ and for there to be a legacy post Big Local funding. To this end, projects which offer sustainability and match funded projects will be prioritised.Some systems are in place and others currently being developed to monitor existing projects against outcomes and targets, e.g. community groups are asked to complete a monitoring form six months following receipt of a small grant, providing evidence of spend, achievements, etc. A monitoring form for larger projects has recently been drafted for agreement. Built into the project proposals for 2017 is a budget to allow for any new initiatives or proposals which may occur as a result of the ongoing consultation programme. How do you know what your community wants?Through feedback, consultation and evaluation at events, questionnaires, social media and conversations in the street ECHBL have listened to local people’s comments, opinions and have endeavoured to respond to realistic needs whilst encouraging residents to get involved and become proactive in change. Emphasis has been placed on community engagement during this year and this will continue into 2017 through the commissioned work of CVP. We have appointed a ‘Community Champion’, a local person who is well placed in the community to listen to the views of residents. During 2016, our target groups for consultation and identifying needs has been young people, older people, young mums and community groups, this again, will continue in 2017 together with other specific consultation mechanisms.Getting the right people to engage with the community is crucial to success. It is essential to be able to relate to, and communicate with, a wide range of people, businesses, agencies, etc in order to get a clear

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picture of the locality and a consensus of priority needs. Through paid staff and partnership members we hope to achieve this – what is evident is the support for a project which the community can get behind.

And a final quote from the 2016 Survey –

“We are making progress but there is still much to do!’’

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