Mottingham Big Local Refocused - Community Links Bromley

Mottingham Big Local Refocused:

Making Mottingham a Proud Place to Live, Work and Play from 2011-2025

Mottingham Big Local Refocused (MBLR) began in 2013 as part of Local Trust’s Big Local programme, which placed £1 million of National Lottery funding directly into the hands of residents to transform their community over 10–15 years. Mottingham was one of 150 areas across England to take part.

Like other Big Local areas, Mottingham’s programme has been entirely resident led. Our board of local residents has remained committed to long-term change, putting the community in control of its future. In 2013, we formed a partnership of residents and supporters dedicated to making the estate a better place to live. We consulted widely to understand what mattered most to our neighbours.

Across four community plans, our core aims have remained consistent: addressing poverty, celebrating opportunities for children, and caring for older residents. In 2024, we developed a refreshed plan based on these priorities, which we called our Seven Pillars:

Children and Young People

Green Spaces

Older Residents

Employability

Health and Wellbeing

Ethnic Minorities

Economic Empowerment

These pillars guided our work and shaped the events, partnerships, grants, and opportunities we championed in Mottingham. From intergenerational groups and creative activities to community meals, holiday programmes, and wellbeing initiatives. We have had fun and learned valuable lessons along the way.

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

Championing youth activities has always been central to MBLR even before it was formally included in our 2024–2026 plan. Our biggest projects focused on creating opportunities for children through sports, after-school clubs, and extracurricular activities.

Since 2023, our Summer of Sports programme has brought a range of activities to Mottingham, including a partnership with Bromley FC Community Trust. In 2024, we supported a food programme (HAF), supplementing food and snack boxes for children. In 2025, we were honoured to be nominated for a London Sport Award for our efforts.

Through our grant schemes, we partnered with three local schools in our catchment area

Elmstead Woods Primary School

Ravensworth Primary School

St Vincent’s Catholic School

funding garden projects, outdoor learning spaces, library renovations, and cooking facilities.

Our 2024 Community Grants enabled us to support a wide range of youth-focused initiatives, including:

A school bus programme (Bromley Youth Services)

School uniform support (Bromley Brighter Beginnings)

Art therapy (Gerald Moore Gallery)

Counselling (Marion Dolly Foundation)

Creativity and songwriting (The Art Train Project with MyTime Active)

LEGO and games clubs (Infinity Martial Arts)

Swimming classes for children (2025)

These initiatives have created lasting legacies, offering safe spaces for fun and learning that continue to benefit Mottingham’s young people.

Two children sitting on floor drawing on paper

A COMMUNITY THAT CELEBRATES AND COMES TOGETHER

Mottingham is a community that knows how to come together and celebrate. Over the years, MBLR created many opportunities for connection.

Our community lunches and brunches were an important MBLR initiative since the beginning and grew popular in our final years. These meals (whether traditional pie and mash, fish and chips, or festive Christmas dinners) offered warmth, conversation, and a sense of belonging, especially for families and older residents.

We also helped residents explore beyond Mottingham. Since 2023, we’ve organised annual excursions to seaside towns, theatres, and fairs. These Coach trips were subsidised by MBLR to make them accessible to all.

As a diverse community, we’ve proudly celebrated cultural events and holidays, including:

Black History Month

Windrush Afternoon Tea

Men’s Curry Night

The King’s Coronation (2023)

Chinese New Year (2018)

Christmas dinners and festive markets

Since 2019, we have funded and organised the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On on Kimmeridge Road in Mottingham. In 2024, this tradition culminated in a vibrant community Festive Market that brought together local businesses and families to celebrate the festive season.

Our Games and Social Club brought residents together for friendly competition and connection.

These events strengthened local partnerships and boosted Mottingham’s economy by involving local businesses and vendors.

AN EMPOWERED COMMUNITY

Economic empowerment and employability were key pillars in our final plan. We supported residents through events, training, and grants.

We helped older residents build digital confidence through Potential ME C.I.C, offering online safety and tech skills workshops.

We supported employability through driving test training, CV workshops, and leadership development via our NCBI grant Leadership Workshops, empowering both men and women to lead in their communities.

Professional development was strengthened through free paediatric first aid training, which benefited residents working in education and childcare. Participants learned about defibrillator use, EpiPens, and received certification with access to discounted refresher courses.

We also broke down barriers for women by funding women-only martial arts classes at Infinity Martial Arts and hosting International Women’s Day events that brought together women from diverse backgrounds to share stories and inspire future generations.

A COMMUNITY THAT CARES FOR ITSELF AND ITS ENVIRONMENT

From the beginning, MBLR has been committed to nurturing green spaces and promoting health and wellbeing.

We supported community gardens at St Edward’s Church, St Vincent’s School, and Mottingham Community Centre.

Through our Community Chest grants, we funded projects like Wild and Free, Wild and Pure, and Mottingham GoodGym, which encouraged residents to engage with nature and wellness. Activities included foraging walks, education on herbs and plants herbal, and combining gardening tasks with exercise.

In line with our 2024 plan, health and wellbeing became a major focus. In 2025, we commissioned a wellbeing programme led by Zeenat Noorani, a Bromley-based clarity coach, alongside other local providers. This brought services directly into Mottingham, including:

Health checks

Drama for wellbeing

Pilates, Tai Chi, and Yoga

Loneliness workshops

Newshopper article: New wellbeing initiative to benefit Mottingham residents

People standing in hall with raised hands

People standing in a line in hall, alongside Mayor of Bromley, smiling for camera

PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION

MBLR has always been resident-led, with board members volunteering their time and bringing diverse experiences and deep local knowledge. Their commitment to advocating for community needs has been the backbone of our success.

We’ve partnered with key local institutions where we held many of our community events and created so many fond memories:

Mottingham Community Centre

Geffery’s Hall Community Centre

St Edward’s Church

We’ve also collaborated with some key organisations in the delivery of our work including:

Our Locally Trusted Organisation - Community Links Bromley

Our Local Housing Association - Clarion Housing

National Lottery and Local Trust- Who provided support and advise throughout MBLR’s lifetime

MyTime Active

Bromley FC Community Trust

Bromley Youth Services

Infinity Martial Arts

StEP

Creative Collaboration Companions

NCBI Training

PotencialME C.I.C

The Mary Dolly Foundation

Citizens Advice Bromley

The GoodGym

OUR LEGACY

MBLR’s legacy is felt through the capacity-building initiatives we’ve delivered across generations. From adult and children’s swimming classes to leadership workshops and wellbeing programmes, we hope that the seeds we’ve sown will continue to grow.

Our journey is captured in a Legacy Film (view below) and visually memorialised in a community mural near the Co-op on Kimmeridge road in the heart of the community. Community consultations ensured that the voices of Mottingham residents were at the heart of this artwork.