Welcome to the Whitley Bay 'Our Bigger Story' website. This is part of the multi media evaluation of 15 Big Local areas in England. The website is an opportunity to follow what is changing in Whitley Bay as a result of Big Local over a ten year period.
The aim of the website is to share the learning from everything that is happening in Whitley Bay with other Big Local areas and highlight what works in communities with a wider audience of practitioners and policy makers
We tried to keep our new community building open as long as we possibly could, recognising that some of our more vulnerable people would quickly become isolated- but as time and circumstances moved on so rapidly we very sadly decided that to keep people safe, it was the only measure we could take. Regular sessions were cancelled, a child's 6th birthday party-cancelled, chances to learn, meet people, share skills and belong all cancelled! The challenge now is, how do we maintain the great relationships we have built up with local people? How do we help people stay connected with each other? How can we can work with other organisations to give practical support that will be needed? New challenges for everyone!