CHARITY STATUS FOR ACTIVE BLACK COUNTRY

We’re pleased to announce that Active Black Country has gained charitable status, an important development that will enable us to grow our commitment to helping local people become more physically active.

After meeting the Charity Commission’s requirements, achieving charitable status offers myriad benefits, notably enhancing our public recognition and trust as we work with our partners and communities to a shared vision of ‘A future Black Country where all ages, abilities and backgrounds are able to be active, move and play sport’.

“We’re delighted the commission has recognised Active Black Country’s charitable objectives to continue to deliver on our mission to use the power of physical activity and sport to influence opportunities for everyone in the Black Country to lead an active healthy lifestyle,” said Ian Carey, CEO of Active Black Country.

“We felt it was really important for us to become a registered charity. Charities are widely recognised for the social benefits they provide,” he added. “As an Active Partnership harnessing the power of working together to realise everyone’s right to be active and reduce health inequalities, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are invaluable and part of everything we are striving to achieve.

“Charitable status gives our Black Country partners and communities assurance that we are monitored and advised by the Charity Commission. It also supports our charitable purposes and opens up avenues for additional income streams to support those we have already secured.”

Our charitable purposes are:

1. To preserve and protect good health including but not exclusively through raising awareness of, and promoting, opportunities for participation in physical activity, sport, and recreation;

2. The relief of those in those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial, or other disadvantage, including but not exclusively through promoting the provision of facilities, services, and infrastructure for, and making grants to facilitate participation in, physical activity, sport, and recreation;

3. To advance education in the subjects of sport, physical activity, and recreation; including but not exclusively by carrying out and publishing research and through providing training programs, courses, and the development of resources;

4. To promote community participation in healthy recreation through the facilitation of community participation in physical activity and recreation, including but not exclusively by the coordination of sporting, recreational and physical activities capable of promoting good health.

Becoming a charity is the latest development in a busy 18 months of changes at Active Black Country. In May, we celebrated our first anniversary as an independent organisation since leaving our hosting relationship last year, a period which saw a shake-up of the board, a restructuring of the executive team and new staff appointed.

After hosting our first annual conference in several years earlier this month, the Active Black Country team is stepping up its work with our partners and community organisations to deliver a series of exciting projects across the four local authorities to empower people to become more active, move more and play sport.