Join In was created after London 2012 to put more volunteers into community sport to enable people to live healthier and happier lives. The Sport and Recreation Alliance led partnership will continue building on the sport volunteering legacy Join In has created in this next chapter after Rio 2016 and work to create even more opportunities for sports volunteers across the UK.
The consortium partners working with the Sport and Recreation Alliance are Do-it.org, GLL, Jump, VolunteerKinetic and Volunteering Matters. The Consortium is also supported by a number of Alliance members including the Amateur Swimming Association, British Triathlon, England Athletics, English Federation of Disability Sport, Greater Sport, London Sport, Northern Ireland Sport Forum, Sporting Equals, Welsh Sports Association and Women in Sport.
The Sport and Recreation Alliance and the consortium partners share the vision that volunteering is integral to sport and recreation at every level and will work together to make sure the future of sport volunteering is growing and that the mission of Join In continues to be visible up and down the country. Activities such as BBC Sports Personality of the Year’s #BigThankYou and I Am Team GB are just two examples of how sport volunteering has reached out to local communities and following a record-breaking Olympic and Paralympic Games, it’s essential that everybody who has been inspired and would like to get active by volunteering can find a place to do so.
Emma Boggis, CEO, Sport and Recreation Alliance said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by the Join In Trust to build on the work they have carried out over the last four years to secure a sport volunteering legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Volunteering is fundamental to sport at all levels – without volunteers there would simply be no sport, so investing in volunteers and their experience is vital to the future sustainability of the sector.”
Rebecca Birkbeck, CEO, Join In commented: “Since 2012 Join In has built on the legacy of the Games Makers to shine a light on the huge value generated by volunteers in sport and share insights into what makes them tick. Whilst the Join In Trust will not continue past the autumn, we are thrilled that our innovative work on volunteering has become the blueprint for the DCMS sports strategy and that Sport England has pledged to invest up to £30m in a new volunteering strategy, enabling more people to enjoy the benefits of volunteering. By sharing our assets and knowledge with the Sport and Recreation Alliance we are delighted to know that the Join In brand will continue, our mission will be taken forward and our legacy will live on through them and their partners.”
Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, said:
"Join In has made a huge contribution to sport volunteering and it's great that its brand and assets will continue with the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
"Volunteering plays such an important role in community sport and I'm delighted that the new home at the Sport and Recreation Alliance will continue to build on the London 2012 legacy and share the benefits of sport volunteering with communities across the country."
