We have advised United by Birmingham 2022, the Official Games Legacy Charity, on its £5 million funding agreement with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to help deliver five legacy programmes through the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund.
The fund represents an opportunity to invest in projects that will drive social change, improve well-being, and foster inclusivity for years to come. The funding will go to the five hugely successful Games Legacy Trailblazer programmes, run by United by 2022, which engage people from underserved and overlooked communities across the West Midlands for a further two years, widening the impact the programmes had in the build up to and during last year's Games to ensure as many people as possible were part of the 10-day spectacle and support grassroots organisations with the current challenges and pressures they face.
The projects include Critical Mass, an inclusive dance and movement programme; Gen22, a youth social action programme, aimed at empowering young people aged 16-24 to make real change in their own communities; Bring the Power, which promotes more opportunities for people with disabilities, and to get more women and girls participating in Games-linked physical activity; Social Value, a private and third sector partnership to financially support grassroots organisations; and Volunteers' Collective, a region-wide website to promote volunteering opportunities.
Gowling WLG partner Robert Breedon led the funding arrangement negotiations for United by Birmingham 2022.
Robert commented: "Ensuring the legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games continues for future generations is crucial to delivering a positive long-term impact, and as the official legal advisers to the Games, it is a goal that is close to us as a firm. The legacy needs to benefit the local communities across the West Midlands and help improve the quality of life for residents, and we hope that this funding will support that ambition."&
Nicola Turner, executive director at United by 2022, added: "We've had outstanding support from Gowling WLG and its staff. When the Games ended last year, many communities told us that they felt there was unfinished business on the legacy of the Games. There have been many different ways that Gowling has helped us respond to this call to action, from contracts to office space, and it has been brilliant to work with partners who share our ambition for the Games to have a lasting social impact in the region".