Birmingham City Council published on 28th July the Commonwealth Games Community Fund Impact Report.
The impact report analyses the £6million investment from the city council which delivered on maximising the benefits of hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games Community Fund was created with the aim of connecting all areas of the city to the Games, providing a host of fun free-to-access initiatives that were designed, led, and delivered by local people and organisations for their communities.
The fund was divided into five areas: Creative City, Celebrating Communities, Physical Activity, Stronger Communities and Youth Engagement through a mix of small grants programmes and support to directly commissioned projects that aligned to both the council priorities and Games mission pillars.
Key highlights from the report include:
- 106 Creative City projects showcased our unique cultural offer as part of the six-month Birmingham 2022 Festival – with over 19,000 participants.
- 263 Celebrating Communities projects took the Games celebrations to every ward in the city. 72% of the projects were in the city’s most deprived wards.
- 70 Active Streets and eight Community Games were delivered.
- Over 117,000 Birmingham school children experienced the Games through lessons, mascot visits, celebration days and more.
- 22 Heritage Trails were created.
- 49 young community journalists trained.
The Community Fund Impact Report contains case studies from each funding strand, key learnings, and further legacy opportunities.
Cllr John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The eyes of the world were on Birmingham last summer for an unforgettable Commonwealth Games, and we were always clear that the event was about much more than 11 days of sport. It was also about celebrating Birmingham, and the people and communities that make this such an amazing city.
“That’s why we invested £6m into a Community Fund to deliver activity across Birmingham. We wanted to take the Games celebrations to local communities, to give our residents the opportunity to celebrate the Games in their own way.
“The Community Fund provides a strong base for us to build on the success of the Commonwealth Games and realise our legacy ambitions to become a world-class major events city.”
