Much of the Development Support which East Coseley Big Local invests in, including a full-time Big Local officer, has helped people from local groups and clubs to get to know each other, initiate collaborative projects, share resources and develop partnerships with all sorts of local and national organisations.
Through Big Local we encourage local groups and clubs to share resources, and to bring in funding from other sources. This way we can use our £1million Big Local funding to help bring in even more ideas, support and resources to East Cosley. Dudley CVS provides free support to groups seeking help with funding. We do recognise that it is getting harder to secure funding, so for groups and clubs who have applied elsewhere, Big Local considers investment in activities and equipment which benefit residents of East Coseley. A budget of £8,000 per year has been allocated in the current Big Local Plan for direct investment in local groups and clubs.
Local residents from the Big Local Core Group have formed a Project Investment Team which oversees allocations of Big Local budget to local groups and clubs. Since April 2017, East Coseley Big Local used this budget to invest in:
- Coseley Bowing Club, who have created a bee-friendly Bzz Garden
- Bayer Street Allotments, who have equipped their polytunnel and undertaken the award-winning planting project at Coseley Station
- Darkhouse Summer Holiday Club, who ran another successful week of activities in August
- Christ Church, who wanted to replace a stolen Home Communion set
- Ace Dance, who asked for help starting up adult fitness classes
- Act One, who have set up a choir and started a dementia project
- Summerhill Community Centre, who wanted a little help to repaint and spruce up the centre
If you are involved in a local group or club and would like some support from East Coseley Big Local, you can submit a simple form on our local groups and clubs page
East Coseley Big Local are also investing in support to help groups share and promote what they do. Look out for more videos and stories here in our updates.