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The Big Local programme is an experiment in resident-led decision making. It gives 150 communities in England at least £1 million each, and allows them the freedom to decide how the money is spent. The Big Local programme is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and managed by Local Trust.

In December 2012, the St James Street area of Walthamstow was awarded a £1 million grant as part of the programme. St James Street Big Local was formed in early 2013, and submitted its first plan in 2016.

St James Street Big Local serves a set geographical area highlighted on the map below. In practice, we are slightly more flexible with the boundaries when we feel that projects nearby will benefit the area overall. For example, we tend to treat St James Park as part of our area, as it is such an important green space for our community.

Each Big Local area is required to establish a partnership committee of between eight and 20 members to guide the overall direction of the local investment. The St James Street Big Local committee receives guidance from a Big Local representative, Gayle Wallace, and administrative support from our “locally trusted organisation”, CREST Waltham Forest. CREST is an established charity in the local area that handles St James Street Big Local’s finances, insurance, policies, and procedures, allowing the partnership committee to operate efficiently and effectively. Since 2015, St James Street Big Local has also had a part-time member of staff who works 24.5 hours per week to support the committee.