Making extra time to talk about Welsh sport

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Extra Time March 2024
Making extra time to talk about Welsh sport

Welcome from Brian Davies, Sport Wales CEO

This edition of Extra Time highlights some of the many ways in which the Welsh sport sector is working to become more inclusive to everyone.

You can read about how mentors are now available to help support Sport Wales’ partner organisations to follow the new ‘Moving to Inclusion Framework’. The Aneurin Leisure Trust share what they’ve learned while developing their ‘Community Kit Room’ scheme in Blaenau Gwent to help communities to stay active during the cost-of-living crisis, while BowlsWales feature in a video which serves as a reminder of the benefits of forming productive partnerships to help sport reach a wider audience.

You can also read about an innovative programme that we are running in collaboration with Sport Northern Ireland and sportscotland to help coaching leads ensure that coaching within their respective sports meets the need of participants and reduces the inequalities which exist in sport.

Another programme that I would like to mention is ‘Positive Action Leadership’, which we designed in partnership with AKD Solutions, key stakeholders and prospective participants to develop the capability and confidence of the ethnically diverse workforce within Wales.

We recognise that there are large proportions of society that are underrepresented in the sport sector workforce in Wales, more specifically operating at leadership level, so ‘Positive Action Leadership’ was launched about a year ago and was delivered over a nine month period.

The programme focused on three key themes: leading self, leading others and enabling positive change. Candidates experienced a host of development opportunities including day workshops, residential learning trips, group coaching, online workshops and a series of ‘lunch and learns’ with experienced leaders from an ethnically diverse background, such as Nigel Walker and Ashton Hewitt.

Importantly, the programme participants also established new connections, exchanged learning experiences, and recognised their responsibility as role models for future generations. I know that our People Development Team also learned a lot during the programme and appreciated how participants felt able to have open conversations. The team have also shared their learning with colleagues.

We're eagerly awaiting the results of an independent evaluation of the programme which will be instrumental in shaping our next steps. Insights gained from the programme have also been communicated to both UK Sport and a leadership consultancy who are currently working on a similar initiative for the Home Nations.

The programme has also been shortlisted for the ‘Best ED&I Initiative’ at the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development (CIPD) Awards which will be held later this month.

Survey to map out good practice across Wales

We recently launched an online survey to help us identify successes, challenges and ideas that people have around making sport and physical activity more inclusive for children and young people in Wales.

We’re interested in learning more from those of you who are creating opportunities for children and young people in either a paid or voluntary role.

Critically, the survey will help us to have a better understanding of what works, what doesn’t, and why, and look at how we can use the experiences of those already doing excellent work to help others.

The survey will also help us to map out good practice across the country so that we can identify potential leaders and changemakers in this network. So, it’s an important survey and we really do appreciate your support in both completing the survey and sharing it within your networks so that it can hopefully snowball and reach a large number of people.

The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and is being conducted on behalf of Sport Wales by a team from the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research at Cardiff Metropolitan University, led by Professor Diane Crone. The survey will remain open until Thursday 20 March.

Making facilities more energy efficient to keep costs low

During the last month, we’ve announced details of significant funding to help both partners and clubs to make their facilities more energy efficient – saving thousands of pounds off energy bills while also benefiting the environment.

Of the £3m which we awarded partners via our Capital Fund, over £1.8m went towards making leisure centres more energy efficient so that activities can remain affordable for communities to enjoy.

A total of 30 leisure centres will benefit from upgrades. In Flintshire, Aura Leisure estimate that the installation of LED lights, solar panels and insulation improvements made possible thanks to £297,658 capital funding will equate to six weeks of free electricity per year!

We also announced the 58 clubs who were successful with their applications for an Energy Saving Grant. We are confident that the return on our £1m investment through these grants will be several times that amount in terms of the overall financial savings generated for clubs, helping them to keep the cost of sport as low as possible.

For example, Tennis Swansea 365 estimate that they will save £9,036 every year thanks to the installation of LED lighting and motion sensors.

In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be announcing some additional Energy Saving Grant awards, and are pleased to confirm we’ll be making a total of £1.5m worth of Energy Saving Grants available for 2024-25. Clubs will be able to make stage 1 submissions from Wednesday 22 May.

Our Capital Fund for 2024-25 will total £5m. Of that, partners will be able to apply for a share of £3m for general capital projects, whilst £1m will be allocated for pitch collaboration projects and a further £1m will go towards projects with an elite or performance angle. Stage 1 submissions for all types of 2024-25 Capital Fund projects will be taken from Wednesday 10 April and further details will be communicated soon.

All of the Capital Fund projects and Energy Saving Grants have been made possible thanks to funding which has been allocated to Sport Wales by the Welsh Government. If you have any queries about capital funding, please email [javascript protected email address] while any queries about Energy Saving Grants should be directed to [javascript protected email address].

Wales Activity Tracker

On the subject of energy saving, our most recent Wales Activity Tracker survey included a new set of questions regarding environment and sustainability. We found that sustainability is most important to males as well as young people aged 16-34, with both groups significantly more likely to agree that they ‘take steps to act sustainably and reduce their negative impact on the natural environment when participating in sport or physical activity’. Held quarterly, the Wales Activity Tracker surveys around 1,000 people about their activity habits, and the latest results can be found on our website. If you’d like to dig deeper into any of the findings or trends and what they might mean, please email [javascript protected email address]

Extending your Welsh language offer

Any of our partners who are looking to develop their Welsh language offering during 2024-25 are recommended to work with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s Hybu team.

They’ll provide your organisation with a clear plan to develop and maintain your Welsh language services over time. They’ll support you to work towards achieving the Commissioner’s Cynnig Cymraeg award as recognition of your commitment to the Welsh language.

Two of our partners – Welsh Triathlon and Welsh Rugby Union – achieved and are benefiting from ‘Cynnig Cymraeg’ during the last year. To find out more, please email [javascript protected email address].

Sharing good practice – family fitness trails

In Wales, we’re lucky enough to live alongside some of the most stunning scenery with various forests, mountains, beaches, coastal paths and acres of green spaces, yet we have worrying levels of inactivity and obesity in this country.

So, it’s heartening to hear about a relatively simple ‘outdoor activity’ concept that has really struck a chord with people of all ages in North Wales. A series of one-mile Family Fitness Trails have been created in various locations across Anglesey, and once someone has completed a trail they can access a certificate via a QR code. The more times they walk, ride, scoot or run a trail, the more certificates they receive and once they’ve clocked up 50 miles they are awarded a bespoke wooden medal made out of local trees.

The fun, competitive element has certainly played its part, in the same way that Parkrun successfully use milestone rewards to recognise when runners have completed a certain number of Parkruns. Mon Actif staff have also been really proactive with their marketing as well as forming productive partnerships to help make the trails a success.

What’s even better to hear is how other local authorities in North Wales have also replicated the concept, with the formation of Actif North Wales playing a key role in encouraging the sharing of good practice and great ideas. Well done to everyone who has been involved – I look forward to seeing how the concept continues to develop.