Passing the baton: Explore Spirit of 2012’s legacy through our final report

Spirit of 2012 has marked the end of an incredible 12-year journey with our final conference, Crafting Events That Matter. The event brought together over a hundred partners and supporters to celebrate our collective achievements and plan how to continue the vital work of harnessing the power of events for social good.

Download our final report here.

As we pass the baton, we are delighted to share our final report and a short film, capturing the lessons and successes from over a decade of impact. Spirit’s funding has reached more than 3.5 million people across the UK. We’ve helped engage over 64,000 volunteers and community helpers and inspired more than 104,000 people to participate in regular physical activity, arts, and culture.

Reflecting on this milestone, Spirit of 2012 Board Chair Jane, Lady Gibson OBE shared her thoughts: “It’s been an incredible 12 years and now we’re passing on the baton and sharing what we’ve learned. It was great to see so many friends and members of the Spirit family there to show their support for continuing the work we have begun. These aren’t just statistics. They’re real people whose lives have been changed for the better.”

These aren’t just statistics. They’re real people whose lives have been changed for the better.

Spirit’s final conference celebrated this legacy and looked to the future, creating practical plans to carry this work forward once we close. Speaking at the event, Spirit CEO Ruth Hollis OBE said: “As we close this chapter of Spirit, I feel a huge sense of pride in what we’ve all achieved together. But more than that, I feel hopeful. The lessons we’ve learned, the tools we’ve created, the mistakes we’ve made and the stories we’ve shared are now part of our Knowledge Bank, ready for you to pick up and use.”

We invite you to explore our journey and discover the insights we’ve gathered.

Further information about our learning partners:

The work doesn’t stop here. Our brilliant learning partners are continuing to build on our shared learnings. Here’s how you can stay involved and access their latest work:

Loughborough University

• Explore the Inclusive Digital Learning Resource, In The Spirit Wood.

• Get involved in the Memory Collection Project to ‘Capture the Spirit’ of the past twelve years.

Pro Bono Economics (PBE)

• Learn how to apply wellbeing cost-effectiveness through Helping Funders Measure What Matters.

• Make a submission to the call for evidence on wellbeing measures for people with learning disabilities and neurodivergence
• Sign up to the PBE newsletter here.

The Belong Network

• Access the Power of Events learning resource and Social Value Estimator to see how events can increase social cohesion.
• Sign up to the Belong newsletter here.

Our Other Valued Partners

• Warwick Business School: Download their new report which explores how we can unlock a shared ambition for major events in the UK.
• University of the West of Scotland: Find out more about the Centre for Culture, Sport and Events and its work supporting the legacy of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.