Sustainability in Sport Fund winners announced as £100,000 of funding distributed to drive environmental change in Welsh Sport
Three members of the Welsh Sport Association (WSA) have been awarded grants from the Sustainability in Sport Fund, to launch and implement sustainability initiatives aimed at driving environmental change within Wales’ sport sector.
In November 2024, Admiral partnered with the WSA to provide funding from its Green Fund Initiative, part of the Community Investment Programme, committing up to £100,000 of seed funding to support WSA members to innovate activity, encourage collaboration and influence behaviour change to inspire a greener and cleaner approach to participation in community sport.
Following a rigorous shortlisting process, seven members were invited to Admiral’s headquarters in Cardiff on Friday 14th March to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, including Michelle Leavesley, Chief Sustainability Officer of Admiral Group; Caroline Carlin, Member Engagement Manager at BASIS; and Lynn Pamment, WSA Chair and a Trustee of the Welsh Sports Foundation.
The three winning projects are Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales, The West Wales Sports Partnership and Byw’n Iach.
The Environmental Adventure Initiative, pitched by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales was written in collaboration with young people from the BGC Wales Youth Forum, ensuring the project is relevant and meaningful to younger generations.
The initiative will include the 100-Mile Canoe Test, an expansion of sustainability across all the organisation’s outdoor activities and making The Lodge a hub for sustainability.
The project’s legacy will be to create Young Eco-Leaders, with each individual participant having the chance to make a personal impact and taking their learnings back into their communities.
The West Wales Sports Partnership (WWSP) were awarded a grant for the REPLAY project, redefining sports kit and equipment recycling across west Wales.
The initiative will see WWSP work with a strategic partner who specialise in the circular economy, coproducing with a wide range of key stakeholders to promote sustainable practices in sports and contributing to Wales’ zero-waste goals.
By integrating sustainability into sports at the grassroots level, this initiative will empower communities across West Wales to make a tangible environmental difference while ensuring greater inclusivity by reducing barriers to participation, caused by the cost of sports equipment.
Byw’n Iach, a leisure management company based in Gwynedd, North Wales pitched their Pwlltec project focused on delivering technology for swimming pools to save water, energy and improve their carbon footprint.
The technology will do this by providing equipment that will recycle warm pool water, typically discharged to drain as part of routine filter cleaning operations (‘backwashing’), reducing water consumption, and directly saving energy.
Furthermore, Dragons RFC and MyRounders Ltd were both strong contenders on the day and the WSA will work with both members to further develop their proposals for potential future investment.
Michelle Leavesley said:
“At Admiral, we witness the impact of climate change and recognise the importance of sustainability within our operational sectors and the communities we serve.
“Community Sport offers Admiral a great channel to promote best practices in sustainability and inspire innovative thinking and change programs to strengthen these communities for the future. Admiral is proud to partner with the WSA, providing financial and in-kind support to establish the WSA Sustainability in Sport Fund, supporting projects that drive change, promote learning, and scale up action against climate change and environmental issues.
“It has been fantastic to see the high levels of engagement from WSA members on this campaign. The judging panel were blown away by the quality and diverse range of sustainability projects presented. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all members for the inspiring ideas brought forward as they each have the potential to inspire change. We are excited to see the winning projects brought to life now and the impact they will have on the community and beyond.”
WSA CEO, Andrew Howard, added:
“The WSA has been incredibly excited to bring the Sustainability in Sport Fund to the sport and leisure sector, and immensely grateful to Admiral for facilitating this vital investment.
“The engagement with the Fund has demonstrated not only sport’s potential power in driving positive change, but the passion that individuals within the sector possess to realise this. The standard of applications for funding was amazing to witness, and the seven members to have made it to the pitching event should be proud of their dedication and vision in this space.
“We would like to congratulate the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales, West Wales Sports Partnership and Byw’n Iach for their successful applications, and look forward to seeing their exciting propositions come to life.”
English