About us
About Devonshire West Big Local
£1m / 10 years / our community
Devonshire West Big Local is a resident run, lottery funded organisation which aims to make Devonshire West a better place to live and work.
In 2012 the Big Lottery Fund provided Devonshire West Big Local with £1 million to spend over 10 years to better our community.
Where is Devonshire West?
What is Big Local?

Big Local has four key aims:
Devonshire West, like all the other areas, will progress through a seven stage Big Local Pathway over the duration of the project.
Residents are at the heart of the process: through a series of consultation events, all the suggestions have been collected from local people.
Originally, the project was managed by an Interim Planning Group made up of community volunteers and representatives from a few key organisations. It is now managed by an elected Board, with significant support from a wide range of local people.
There is a requirement that residents are in the majority on the Devonshire West Big Local Board, and this is the body that is responsible for implementing how the £1m will be spent.
The group has always adopted an open approach to their work and welcome more volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch.
What it is NOT…
It’s NOT short-term – 10 years or more to plan and deliver the best options for the area.
Who is Involved?
The Board
Currently, the Board comprises of the following members:
- Amy Hope – Chair and experienced fundraiser & community worker
- Adrian Ley – Treasurer, resident and member of Devonshire Collective and Eastbourne Blind Society
- Jim Boot – Local Trust Rep (non-voting)
- Miriam Wilkinson – 3VA, representing our Locally Trusted Organisation (non-voting)
- Jon Chapman – Involved with number of local community initiatives
- Jane Dubery – Resident
- Graham Button – Resident and member of Friends of Seaside Rec
- Brian Lawrence – Local business owner
- Stephen Holt – Devonshire Ward Councillor and member of the Chamber of Commerce
The Board has to be between 8 and 20 members; it is a Local Trust requirement that the Board has a resident majority. All Board members have signed up to a set of policies and procedures in accordance with Local Trust guidance and good practice.
The DWBL Plan
The Plan was presented to the community on 7th August 2014 at a drop-in meeting and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. It was submitted to Local Trust on 22nd September, and they visited for an interview on 16th October. Final approval was deferred until there was a newly elected Board with a full term of office ahead; after the AGM in November, the last few bits of paperwork were signed and sealed and the first installment of the 2015 phase of funding was on its way in January 2015.
You can click here to read the full plan.
Every three years Devonshire West Big Local must create a new 3-year plan which is designed with input from board members, residents and local stakeholders and then submitted to Big Local for review and approval.
A summary of the Devonshire West Big Local 3-year plan for 2017-2019 can be found below. Our 2017-2019 plan targets four themes that we wish to concentrate on over the next three years, these themes are;
Theme 1. Consolidating our Devonshire West Big Local Presence
Theme 2. Operating a grants programme
Theme 3. Supporting local enterprise and promoting social inclusion
Theme 4. Working in partnership
The Start of DWBL
The DWBL Film
Enjoy…
Context documents
Some of these key documents are;
Our Area Profile, which contains information on the many demographics living and working within Devonshire West and can be found here. The Area Profile is an older document and we now use the more current Local Insight Report provided to us by Big Local, which can be found here. The Local Insight Report is a key document which we recommend potential grant applicants view as it contains detailed information about local demographics and issues.
Information gathered from resident consultations are also regularly used by Devonshire West Big Local, we strive to make sure that the work we do always reflects the wishes of our residents and so we undertake regular consultation activities, from large scale meetings to smaller, more informal, conversations. In 2012 Devonshire West Big Local asked residents to take part in a huge consultation effort which provided us with data to start our work, the results of that First Resident Consultation can be found here. We have also undertaken more recent consultations including a number of small Focus Groups, the data from those meetings can be found here.
Devonshire West Big Local also have a number of policies and procedure that we ensure we always adhere to, these include a Code of Conduct and policies regarding Conflict of Interest, Data Protection and Confidential Information, Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Incision, Anti-Bullying and Complaints. Should you wish to see a copy of any of these polocies you can request them by emailing Samantha.Wickens@3VA.org.uk.
Local Trust Guidance
Next Grant Funding
Grant 9 is open between 4th November and 16th December 2019
POSTAL ADDRESS
The Seaside Community Hub, 125 Seaside, Eastborne, BN22 7NN
DELIVERY SUPPORT
Provided by Helen Owen Marketing Enterprises (HOME) CIC
Contact Us
Email: info@devonshirewestbiglocal.org.uk
Phone: 07378 972277
Phone
07378 972277