What is William Morris Big Local?
By the community, for the community.
Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents to use £1 million to make a massive and lasting positive difference to their communities.
Big Local projects are running in 150 areas around England. The funding is distributed by the Local Trust. It was set up with £200 million by the Big Lottery Fund which receives a portion of money from every National Lottery ticket sale.
The William Morris area of Walthamstow is one of these areas.
The aim is to make a lasting positive difference to the area and people who live here. It’s about bringing together all the local talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations who want to make their area an even better place to live.
What it’s about
- The community making a difference to the needs it prioritises.
- People feeling that their area is an even better place to live.
- Communities being better able to identify local needs and take action in response to them.
- People having increased skills and confidence, so that they continue to identify and respond to needs in the future.
What it’s not about
- It’s not about the local authority, the government or a national organisation telling us how to spend the funding.
- It’s not about individual groups fixing their favourite problem without talking to a wide range of different people who live and work in the community.
- It’s not about short-term thinking – we’ve got 10 years or more to plan and deliver the best options for our area.
Our vision
Our vision is to bring together the talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations around us to make the William Morris area an even better place to live. This will lead to a healthier, happier, stronger and more connected community.
Our Big Local plan focuses on three key areas that were identified by local people during extensive consultation and planning. These are:
Find out more about us
Big Local Partnership
The Big Local partnership is a group of residents from the William Morris Ward, who together are responsible for guiding the overall direction of the Big Local in their area. The Big Local plan describes the priorities for the area and how we will work towards achieving them and making the ward an even better place to live. The residents on the partnership meet every month to steer the project.
The Big Local partnership and plans are endorsed by Local Trust, the charity that supports and oversees all 150 Big Locals nationally.
Staff
We have three staff members: a project lead, a communications and admin officer, and a youth opportunities co-ordinator.
Big Local Representative
We also have a representative from the Local Trust who provides a direct link between the William Morris Big Local and Local Trust and who attends partnership meetings and forums to help with governance, direction, and the overall running of the project.
Locally Trusted Organisation
Our finances and accounts are administered by our Locally Trusted Organisation which is Crest Waltham Forest. They hold the purse strings for us, make payments and draw down the Lottery money on our behalf.