Big Local South Bermondsey

St Saviour’s has been the locally trusted organisation for ‘Big Local South Bermondsey’ (BLSB) a programme which invested £1m of Big Lottery funds in the South Bermondsey area between 2012 and 2023.

Run by local people, for local people, the aim of the national Local Trust programme is to inspire and motivate residents to get involved and lead change in their communities.  Over 10 years, the community partnership supported activities based on priorities set by residents across 6 local housing estates. These were:

  • Improving how green and open space is used on and around the estates to increase a sense of community ownership
  • Improving community participation by older people, including opportunities for young and old to work together.
  • Encouraging young people to become actively involved in their area and develop skills for the future

BLSB also opened up an enterprise and employment hub in The Blue Market, Bermondsey, in 2017. The Big Local Works’ is supporting local entrepreneurs to go on to further training, employment or self employment.

United St Saviour’s has been proud to support this programme by holding the Local Trust funds on behalf of the Big Local South Bermondsey Partnership, and – for a while – the lease of the Big Local Works in 4 Market Place.

The programme closed in September 2023 but legacy projects include the Big Local Works, the Old Kent Road CIO, and a project to support new traders in the Blue Bermondsey Market.