About Big Local Trust

ICVS is taking forward work on the Big Local Trust (BLT) Project, which focuses on the wards of Whitton, Whitehouse and Castle Hill, in NW Ipswich. BLT will provide over a million pounds worth of funding, which will be available over the next ten years.

The project will be implemented over three stages:

Stage 1 - This stage will see extensive promotion of the funding, spreading the message to local groups and organisations who may be able to benefit. This will be joined with the recruitment of a number of local residents inviting them to become ‘Community Stars’ and members of the ‘Peoples Panel’, which will be the decision making body on how the funding is to be spent. The promotion and publicity stage will take place between April 2011 and September 2011.

Stage 2 - This stage will see the development of a ‘Neighbourhood Community Plan’ which sets out the priorities for North West Ipswich. This will be developed collaboratively between the Peoples Panel and other local key stakeholders and go out to further consultation with the wider community. Members of the Panel will also undergo an extensive training programme to develop their own skills and enable them to fully participate in decision making. The second stage will run between October 2011 and June 2012.

Stage 3 - This stage will begin to see the allocation of funding to local groups and organisations working in the three wards and will be the final step in getting funding out to the local community. The Neighbourhood Community Plane developed in Stage 2 will provide the basis for decision making.

The main aim of the BLT Project will be to create a lasting legacy to support residents living in the neighbourhood of NW Ipswich, making a real difference to their quality of life.

For more information on the BLT Project, please contact Leah Douglas, BLT Project Officer.