Next week marks the end of an era for Spirit of 2012.
Alex Johnston, who joined Spirit on secondment from the Big Lottery Fund Scotland (as was) in 2013 will be leaving Spirit at the end of next week. Alex originally joined the organisation to develop Spirit’s response to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, working with stakeholders across the UK to celebrate Glasgow’s moment on the world stage.
In his interview he described the opportunity as a “proud son of Glasgow” to make a contribution to ensuring that the Games left a lasting and tangible impact for Glaswegians over the long term as his driving force, and throughout his time with us he has continue to ensure that this promise is delivered. So, it seems very fitting that Alex is leaving Spirit, 12 years later, to go and work on the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games as their Legacy Manager.
Alex will take with him the toolbox of insights and lessons that Spirit has developed over our last 12 years. Anyone that has worked with Alex, or heard him speak, knows that he also takes a passion for addressing inequality and knocking down barriers to participation for those that could most benefit.
One of Alex’s defining contributions to our work at Spirit has been his unwavering focus on inclusion seen through projects like Get Out Get Active and Critical Mass. We will be reflecting more on Alex’s journey with us next week. In the meantime, it’s safe to say that Spirit’s loss is most definitely Glasgow 2026’s gain and we all wish him every success as Glasgow steps onto the world stage again to host what will be another world class event.