About Our Bigger Story

BACKGROUND

THE BIG LOCAL

Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents in 150 areas around England to use at least £1m each to make a lasting and positive difference to their communities.

Big Local brings 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 and develop the skills and knowledge of local residents. It is a long term approach to change: Big Local areas have up to 15 years to spend their money.

The programme is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and managed by Local Trust. Local Trust supports residents and communities to create positive change. They believe those in the community know best about what is needed in the places where they live, work and socialise, and are the most likely to come up with solutions to make a lasting difference.

Local Trust has an ongoing commitment to learning and evaluation and has commissioned Our Bigger Story as one way to learn about how community led change happens.

Learn more about Big Local and Local Trust

OUR BIGGER STORY

Our Bigger Story is a multimedia evaluation of Big Local which aims to record positive change in Big Local areas and understand how those changes come about and how they can be sustained.

Led by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) at the University of Birmingham, the team will be working with 15 Big Local areas across England to record change as it happens – change in individuals and in Big Local communities as a whole.

We are supporting Big Local areas to record their experiences, through community research, blogs, photos, digital stories, films and other media.

Together we are creating an on-line record of the activities that are making Big Local areas an even better to place to live, and making films about how Big Local is making a difference.

Ultimately, Our Bigger Story will be a unique digital record of change in communities over a ten year period.

MULTIMEDIA EVALUATION

FILM AND ANIMATION

Naturally engaging. In an age of information overload, it's good to offer content that is easy to digest.

PODCASTS AND AUDIO

Ideal for quickly gathering creative and engaging content. For the audience, it is like listening to the radio.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND IMAGES

An image tells a thousand words. Photography is a very powerful media for accompanying and telling stories.

STORIES AND TEXT

Traditional written content is still the bread-and-butter of communication. Written stories, including blogs and diaries will be essential for Our Bigger Story.
Image Title
LOCAL BIG

MEET THE TEAM

ANGUS MCCABE ANGUS MCCABE Researcher
ANGUS MCCABE Researcher Angus has a background in community development work both in inner city and settings on peripheral estates Full Profile
MANDY WILSON MANDY WILSON Researcher
MANDY WILSON Researcher Mandy Wilson has more than 30 years’ experience in community work practice, management, research and evaluation. She works with the community Full Profile
ROB MACMILLAN ROB MACMILLAN Researcher
ROB MACMILLAN Researcher Rob Macmillan is a Principal Research Fellow in CRESR at Sheffield Hallam University. He has been actively researching aspects of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and community development for over 25 years, Full Profile
PAUL MORGANS PAUL MORGANS Film Maker
PAUL MORGANS Film Maker Paul Morgans has made films for the Arts Council involving Disabled Artists, the Department for Education Full Profile
MATT EDWARDS MATT EDWARDS Digital Designer
MATT EDWARDS Digital Designer Matt Edwards of Creative Media, University of Birmingham, has a 17-year proven track record in both the print and online digital design industries Full Profile
Image showing Peter Wells dressed in black suit and white shirt. PETER WELLS Professor
PETER WELLS Professor Peter Wells is Professor of Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation. He has led over 50 research and evaluation projects and is author to over 100 research reports Full Profile
Image showing Angela Ellis Paine smiling. ANGELA ELLIS PAINE Researcher
ANGELA ELLIS PAINE Researcher Angela is Lecturer in Voluntary Sector Management at Bayes Business School, City University of London. She has over 25 years of experience in research on Full Profile