The City of London Corporation was delighted to welcome Access Sport to Guildhall last night (27 November 2024) to celebrate the charity’s 20th anniversary, marking two decades of making inclusion the norm in community sport by tackling access barriers faced by disadvantaged and disabled young people. As Lead Member for Sport, it was my privilege to deliver a welcome address to the 300 guests and Access Sport staff gathered in the Great Hall.
Tonight, we celebrate two decades of transformative work, supporting inclusion and accessibility in sport across communities.
We are honoured this evening to be joined by an inspiring group of Paralympic and Olympic talent.
Many of these remarkable athletes began their journeys in local sports clubs, nurtured by inclusive grassroots programmes like those Access Sport supports.
This is where dreams start, and where the talent pipeline for elite sport begins.
Community sport is the foundation of not only future champions but of a stronger, healthier society.
At the City Corporation, we are deeply committed to sport and furthering sporting opportunities across London.
We also share your passion to make inclusion the norm in community sport and across society.
Here in the City, we have a long history of offering opportunities to participate in, as well as celebrating the positive impact of sport.
Our stakeholders include the residents of our local communities, hundreds of thousands of City workers, and the millions of people who live in and visit London and its surrounding areas.
We are proud custodian of over 11,000 acres of open space in London and southeast England, including Burnham Beeches, Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, the Surrey commons, West Ham and Queens Parks, and over 200 smaller sites, many of which provide a range of outdoor sports facilities
The City Corporation invests over 38 million pounds a year into the natural environment. and we are delighted to host many local sports groups who work with people from all backgrounds and communities.
Though the Square Mile is geographically small, we have big ambitions for sport…
Indeed, at the City Corporation we are unashamedly proud advocates for sport at community and elite levels.
Our new Sport Strategy – launched last year – sets out a bold blueprint for sport investment and promotion with the aim of making the City a global destination for sport and at the same time supporting the whole of London to be a global city of sport. Our mission is to
- invest in sports facilities,
- activate our public spaces,
- working with UK Sport to attract high quality sport events across the nation,
- and with many stakeholders to promote community sport,
- and celebrate its impact – just as we are doing tonight.
By elevating the City’s sporting landscape, we will create lasting legacies that benefit not only our local communities but also leave a positive imprint on the world stage.
But to reach its full potential, sport must be inclusive—available to everyone, including those who are disadvantaged or disabled.
And that is why we are so proud to welcome Access Sport to Guildhall tonight.
Access Sport has been a trailblazer in making this vision a reality, thanks to the dedication of its volunteers, community clubs, coaches, and supporters – many of whom are in this room So, let me close by once again congratulating Access Sport on reaching this incredible 20-year milestone and thanking you for choosing to celebrate here in the City of London.
Please consider contributing to Access Sport’s amazing work. Find out how at www.accesssport.org.uk.
C. E. Lord OBE 