9 minute read
Interview: Lisa Wainwright
LISA WAINWRIGHT MBE
Within a year of her appointment as CEO of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, Lisa Wainwright was dealing with a pandemic. We spoke to Lisa about the sector’s response to COVID19 and about the Alliance’s future plans
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How would you describe your three years in charge so far?
Collaborative, challenging and fluid! The last three years have been some of the most difficult for the sector, but have also shown the incredible togetherness and adaptability that is the strength of our sport and recreation organisations.
Personally, as an intuitive collaborator, I have welcomed the increased cooperation that the pandemic led to. There are so many exceptional leaders in our sector who demonstrated the resilience required to lead their organisations through troubled times, and we have learned so much through our shared experiences and challenges.
Now that we have emerged into a new way of working, we must continue this momentum to ensure that sport and recreation plays a central role in the nation’s recovery.
Wainwright was awarded an MBE in the 2021 Birthday Honours List
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced during your tenure?
Undoubtedly the pandemic, although that could be rivalled by the cost-of-living crisis in the next year or so. However, as we’ve adjusted to this new world since COVID-19 arrived, it’s easy to forget just
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© SPORT & RECREATION ALLIANCE / MARK PRITCHARD
how much of a shock it was initially, and how little we all knew about it.
How well has the sector dealt with the pandemic?
I think it dealt with it remarkably well, considering the uncertainty that we were suddenly plunged into, and the constant changes on the guidance and timelines of coming back out of restrictions.
We saw so many community clubs and organisations adapting to the new normal and providing support for people online or in a socially distanced way.
This was so vital as there are so many vulnerable people in communities who rely on sport and recreation for their mental and physical health, so the fact many organisations adapted so well to reach them is testament to our sector.
This was just one aspect of the support provided by those organisations, and I personally know a number of colleagues in the sector who were working exceptionally long hours to adapt the ways in which their activity could be delivered and to safeguard the future of their organisations.
What we did see was a very collaborative and open approach to supporting each other during this time. This way of working
has continued following the end of the pandemic, and these stronger relationships will only help to advance the advocacy and promotion of the activities we all love.
How well is the sector’s recovery going?
Our research with Sheffield Hallam University shows us the sector had been recovering well until the cost-of-living crisis began, which has put another huge strain on everyone, from national governing bodies right down to community clubs.
With costs rising rapidly, many clubs are going to find it incredibly difficult to continue operating without significant financial help.
Many of these clubs are the bedrock of their communities and of so many people’s lives, so it is imperative that we are doing everything we can to support and help them and ensure as many people as possible can still feel the benefits of sport and recreation.
What are the biggest learnings the sector can take from the pandemic?
I think it’s just how adaptable we are and how, even in circumstances which seemed impossible, we found a way to continue.
However, we’ve also learnt that it isn’t feasible to continue without support – sport and recreation in this country needs support from the government to ensure its continued survival. There are already so many fantastic volunteers up and down the country that are holding up the sector, but it is a sector that relies so heavily on funding.
With the right funding, organisations within the sector have a proven ability to enhance people’s lives through the power of sport, physical activity and recreation, so it’s vital we don’t get left behind.
The physical activity sector had been recovering well from the pandemic – until the cost of living crisis kicked in
Are you satisfi ed with the level of government support?
Generally, we have been appreciative of the support that government has provided in difficult circumstances for every sector. We were pleased to see recent energy price support for business which will help to reduce expenditure for members, clubs and grassroots organisations.
However, this support is only covered until April 2023, and we are working with government to provide evidence for what further assistance may be required once we reach this deadline. It’s clear across all the sector, from grassroots to professional level, that we will need more financial support to safeguard the long-term future of our clubs and activities, unless energy prices come back down to a reasonable level.
Over the last year we have also welcomed the announcements that government would be investing over £235m in new and refurbished community sports facilities and parks and £200m in the Holiday Activities and Food Programme alongside funding for active travel, support for UK bids to host major sporting events and explicit recognition of the sector’s contribution to the Government’s levelling up ambitions.
As part of the Alliance’s role in the National Sector Partner Group (NSPG), we continue to call for more progress on specific tax changes we have proposed in our Unlocking the Potential report – including changes to the VAT treatment of sport, physical activity and recreation, a re-examination of the red diesel exemption and further reform of the business rates system.
We will continue to advocate for reforms to the tax regime alongside wider policy changes which support the growth of our sector given the contribution improved health and wellbeing can make to economic prosperity.
The biggest obstacle we have collectively faced is the instability and uncertainty in Westminster. We hope that the new Prime Minister and his team will provide more long-term clarity and consistency in the support offered to our sector – starting with the upcoming Autumn Budget.
What are the SRA’s main strategic objectives at the moment?
Last year we released our new four-year strategy – Support. Recover. Achieve. At the time, the nation was re-emerging from the pandemic and the restrictions that had been enforced upon us. At the Alliance we were aware that the support we had provided during this time needed to continue and
© SPORT & RECREATION ALLIANCE / MARK PRITCHARD
SRA launched its Support. Recover. Achieve four-year strategy in 2021
even be more directed and enhanced.
Since the strategy was published, we have seen political upheaval, global unrest and the cost of living crisis. This has provided even more intensity on the role of the Alliance to provide a tailored support function for its members and on behalf of grassroots physical activity.
There are several objectives which form the strategy, and they highlight the need to promote and advocate the social and economic benefits of activity. We have also committed to supporting our members to become more diverse and inclusive – acknowledging that the power of sport and recreation must be accessible to everyone.
As a founding member of the Sport Environment Climate Coalition (SECC), we are also helping our members adapt to change and supporting them to become more sustainable. This takes on many forms and doesn’t just encompass environmental sustainability, we also want to help sport and recreation to thrive in the long-term.
With the uncertain nature of global and national events unfolding, we have to be flexible and responsive to the needs and demands of our members. Ensuring that our members receive the help they need will always be a priority for the Alliance, and we continue to help them daily with our policy, governance and research support.
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What about your main projects and initiatives?
The Alliance is involved in a number of important projects at present, including the work previously mentioned with the SECC and NSPG.
To help evidence and champion the role of physical activity, over the last year we have been working on a number of research projects with our members.
Shortly, we will be publishing a report which focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis on our community clubs. It will reveal the current situation of grassroots activity and shine a light on the financial and facility concerns that a huge number of organisations are facing.
Following this, we will be releasing a report which showcases the phenomenal social impact of movement and dance for the first time. These activities play a wonderful role in mental and social wellbeing of our nation, and we look forward to highlighting this.
We are also currently leading a project to update Concussion Guidance for the sector, having been tasked with the role by DCMS, making sport and recreation safer and more sustainable in the process.
The Alliance has long been a supporter of good governance and with this in mind we are launching The Inclusivity Hub, a go-to support system of toolkits, advice and guidance to help every organisation in the sector become more accessible, open and inclusive.
Earlier this summer, we officially welcomed the handover of the International Working Group on Women and Sport and we will be working with the UK Secretariat to provide our members with the opportunity to engage with, and learn from, this group over the coming years.
SRA actively promotes the health and social benefits of sport
How would you describe the UK’s current facility stock? Do we have enough quality facilities to help create an active nation?
Presently, the biggest concern would relate to making sure that the current infrastructure is protected. I think everyone has seen across the media how leisure centres, swimming pools and sports facilities are closing, or at least at threat of closure, due to escalating costs.
We can only make activity more accessible if we provide people with the opportunities to take part. Reducing this capacity will only lead to more inactivity and the reduced social outcomes that will inevitably follow.
The Alliance is currently undertaking research to map the facility stock for activity across the country which will highlight those areas where opportunities are either severely restricted or not available. l
