London 2012 established that the UK is a world-class host of events. Our goal is to help ensure that the UK becomes a world leader in the legacy from those events.
Our evidence bank makes the case for using the power of events to improve wellbeing, inclusion and civic pride. It also shares research and case studies for how to deliver event legacy differently in order to make the most of that moment over the longer term.
In 2023, we published the final report of our Inquiry into the Power of Events – a seminal piece of work which consolidated everything we have learned from our funded projects as well as testimony from real participants and external research. From this, we formed five recommendations decision makers can adopt to use events to create happier, thriving and more connected communities. We have built on this work with the Moments To Connect fund, collaboration with Counsel and Loughborough University on a potential ‘capital of sport’ competition and with FRY Creative on an events data observatory.
After working extensively with Jo Cox Foundation, WOW – Women of the World and Springboard to gather research, Spirit of 2012 and inFocus are proud to present the final report for Moment To Movement.
Emerging insights from an ongoing evaluation by Neighbourly Lab of the Volunteering Cities fund.
A new report from FRY Creative seeking to understand how to best aggregate and understand the qualitative data from major events.
An evaluation report which looks at the one of the great legacies of Hull’s 2017 City of Culture year.
An evaluation report from the 2019 edition of the The Great Get Together – a series of community events which brought about cohesion and wellbeing around the UK.
A project seeking to find out how community events can inspire people to become organisers and improve community wellbeing.
Nine festivals were held between 2017-2019, in Bradford, Exeter, Perth, Norwich and Cardiff.
An evaluation report from Critical Mass, an inclusive dance project which featured as part of the Birmingham 2022 Cultural Festival
A £200,000 grant to support a schools engagement programme and an evaluation to measure the impact of Eurovision on the health and wellbeing of Liverpool’s residents.
Spirit of 2012 awarded a major £1m grant to Coventry City of Culture Trust to rollout a community programme of cultural activities that address the city’s most significant social issues.
Since 2017, we have supported Hull both as City of Culture and the wonderful legacy of volunteering which has been built since.
A major part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 Cultural Festival, Critical Mass saw nearly 250 disabled and non-disabled young people from diverse backgrounds take part in inclusive dance and perform to a worldwide audience.
A grant to Birmingham 2022’s organising committee to secure the future of its Commonwealth Games volunteering programme.
£200,000 has been awarded to the north Staffordshire charity Caudwell Children to create a new art and culture project linked to the Commonwealth Games, following a collaboration between Spirit of 2012 and Birmingham 2022.
£200,000 has been awarded to Warwick Arts Centre to create a new, inclusive art and culture project linked to the Commonwealth Games, following a collaboration between Olympic legacy funder Spirit of 2012 and Birmingham 2022.
The nationwide programme aimed to bring the values, opportunities and spirit of the Commonwealth Games to 14-25 year olds from disadvantaged areas in partnership between StreetGames and Spirit of 2012
In 2015, Spirit was one the funders of Big Big Sing – a project that inspired hundreds of thousands of people the length and breadth of the UK to unite in celebration of singing.
Fourteen NI was part of Spirit’s £3.5m Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games social legacy programme, which allocated grants to communities across the UK to deliver sports, arts and volunteering activities aimed at enhancing social connectedness. Following a three-year partnership, Springboard Opps was awarded an additional grant in July 2018 to continue its work via 14-NOW.
Spirit of 2012 is a legacy partner of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and was awarded £1.3 million by the Scottish Government to get the least active people in Scotland more active and generate learning for the benefit of the rest of Scotland.
The Volunteer Support Pot enabled volunteers complete their roles as Clyde-siders or Ceremonies volunteers at the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in summer 2014 to address hardship on the basis of need.
We funded the Southbank Centre to support communities across the UK in developing their own Women of the World festivals.
We supported the Jo Cox Foundation to explore community connection and social action through The Great Get Together.
£300,000 to seven programmes designed to explore how the major national events of 2023 can connect individuals and communities across social divides.
In January 2023, we rounded up our Inquiry into the Power of Events with our comprehensive final report, which outlined the current state of play in events legacy. With it…
This week, we published the final report from our independent Inquiry into the Power of Events. We’d like to thank Sir Tom Hughes-Hallett and the 25-strong panel for their contribution…
Our FestivalsConnect project, funded by Spirit of 2012 is concerned with exploring the relationship between festivals and events of different scale, geographical location, and genre (i.e. sporting or cultural) in…
Andy Barrow first heard about Wheelchair Rugby when he was undergoing rehabilitation treatment following a Rugby injury in 1997. After watching his first match, he was determined to start playing himself….
Dave Hawksworth organises the #RunForJo – a community-based run dedicated to the memory of Jo Cox MP. In light of our Social Value of Community Events research and our recent…
Spirit funded a total of 30 Great Get Togethers across the UK, bringing people and communities together to eat, drink, talk and play. Catherine Anderson, CEO of the Jo Cox…
The 75th anniversary of the Windrush – a key moment in Britain’s history of migration and diversity – was commemorated this year as a major national event. Alongside coverage across…
This month has been a big month for the world of event evaluation, so much so it is hard to keep track. Here’s what we’ve got our eye on! First,…
One year on from the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, UEFA have released their post-tournament impact report. The report looks back on a triumphant tournament, which broke records for attendance and…
Spirit of 2012 was very proud to be one of the principle partners of Hull City of Culture 2017. Spirit was formed as part of the legacy of the summer…
There’s a viral challenge doing the rounds. You know the one, you face a wall, lift your foot up to the wall, pivot, put your hands on the floor, lift…
Less than three months ago, Jack Drum Arts was delighted to receive news that its application to Spirit of 2012’s Moments to Connect fund had been successful. The project –…
Something special is happening in West Yorkshire right now. You could describe it as a cultural reckoning as Leeds, Kirklees, Wakefield, Calderdale and Bradford all embark on their own celebrations…
Chief Executive of Sport England, Tim Hollingsworth, has come out in strong defence of major events, following the abrupt and disappointing decision of Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews to pull…
The spring and summer of 2023 has seen a bumper programme of national events, including the Coronation, Eurovision and Windrush 75. Last year we saw the Platinum Jubilee, the Commonwealth…