Local Trust
Millie Dessent is a skilled professional with diverse experience in policy and research roles. Currently serving as a Policy Officer at Local Trust since September 2023, Millie has previously worked as a Grower at Coed Organic and held various positions at Local Trust, including Policy and Research Coordinator. Millie's background includes a role as a Research Officer at the Welsh Government and a Program Support Officer at Groundwork, where responsibilities involved addressing fuel poverty. Early work experience features support roles in outreach at SOAS University of London and an internship with the Wonder Foundation. Millie holds an MSc in Environment, Politics and Development from SOAS University of London and a BSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Local Trust
Local Trust was established to deliver Big Local, a unique initiative that puts residents across the country in control of decisions about their own lives and neighbourhoods. Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, it provides in excess of £1m of long-term funding over 10-15 years to 150 local communities that have historically missed out on lottery and other funding. Big Local is generating new and important learning and insight around the potential and limits of localism; the challenges of long term, place-based funding; and the limitless potential of local people to transform their own futures. We’ve just launched our first ever arts programme, Creative Civic Change, a joint initiative with the Big Lottery Fund and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) which will enable communities to transform themselves through arts and creativity. Our research project, The Future for Communities, shares findings from an 18-month research project asking ‘What needs to happen for communities to feel and be more powerful in the future?'.