Through the years, Bristol has produced some notable sporting success. Whilst our two current football teams, City and Rovers, have never been in the Premier League, the best performance that Bristol City have ever produced was a second-place finish in the old first division in 1907. Our Rugby Union team, the Bristol Bears, won the John Player Cup in 1983 and, more recently, the European Challenge Cup in the 2019-2020 season. That’s not forgetting, outside of mainstream sports, Bristol has produced Lando Norris of Formula One fame and Judd Trump in snooker. Some might say that our most notable sporting success was the gold medals won by Robin Cousins in ice dancing.
One organisation whose efforts could make a real difference to Bristol’s sporting record is the Bristol Sport Foundation. Based at the home of Bristol City and Bristol Bears, Ashton Gate, Bristol Sport Foundation is a charity set up to bring the sport to the people of the city in some of its poorest and most deprived areas. One of their central beliefs is that, through sport, communities will become more active and those active communities will be happier for it.
To bring change, Bristol Sport Foundation often uses schools in these kinds of areas as a hub for their activities, intending to make people healthier and happier and to start breaking down the barriers that exist in such areas. It’s a well-known fact that a lack of access to sporting facilities and activities creates great tension within society and also means that the people living in those areas struggle to be able to maintain good levels of health and fitness.
The work that Bristol Sport Foundation does is funded primarily through grant applications and also by working with partners such as certain Bristol finance recruitment agencies (more about that later). With increasing underfunding from government organisations it has fallen to organisations like Bristol Sport Foundation to try and plug the gaps and give young people an opportunity to play the sport they need.
Bristol Sport Foundation have a fundamental belief in sport as a conduit for a happier society and happier people. They are deeply committed to being able to provide this for certain areas of Bristol that are particularly run down and need assistance. With specialist training staff and access to areas that can provide support, they ensure that families and groups can organise fun days of activities playing the sport that they love. Their work is vital for the continued success of creating clubs and hubs where young people can come and try out a sport. After-school clubs in schools have managed to achieve this to some extent but Bristol Sport Foundation have gone one step further to create several examples of after-school clubs that are non-reliant on teachers but still maintain the service levels that parents would hope for their children. This is a great way of encouraging budding stars and also of enabling disparate groups in society to come together and find common ground on playing fields or in sports halls. Playing alongside people of different cultures, faith and race has been incredibly beneficial in terms of cementing understanding of each other and our place in society.
Beyond this, the Bristol Sport Foundation also offers numeracy-themed sporting activities reinforcing maths skills in children for everyday life. Probably one of the most important services they offer is that of holiday camps for children during the summer holidays out of school time. Not only does this give the children a focus so that they are not just simply out on the street, but it also gives parents a much-needed break to look at their own health needs, knowing that their child is in a safe and protected environment for the day.
Core3 buy into what Bristol Sport Foundation are doing and so we are choosing to support them as part of our objective of giving back to our local community.
As conscious recruiters, we focus not only on what our customers need but also our impact on the environment, the community, and society as a whole. Our mindset is based on making a difference for people, the planet, and progress for all and Bristol Sport Foundation offers us the perfect opportunity to assist young people! Our intention is to provide as much support as we possibly can as getting involved in Bristol Sport Foundation projects ticks every one of our boxes! We have pledged 3% of our sales revenue towards funding Bristol Sport Foundation as they represent such a deserving cause. It might seem an unusual thing for us to do as one of Bristol’s finance recruitment agencies, but we believe that business has a bigger role to play in society than simply making profit.
Pledging to give financial support and helping out with their after school clubs are two ways we partner with the Bristol Sports Foundation. The Foundation’s continuing good work in the community is a vital resource that must be protected as it’s making such a big difference in people’s lives. We hope that other businesses who are looking for a good social cause to support will join us and follow our example.
The Bristol Sport Foundation’s model could even be taken into account as one that could be replicated in some of our other towns and cities where there is a need for sport to bring about greater well-being.
