To aid with the understanding and implementation of our Every Move sustainability strategy and action plan, we've produced six case studies.
They showcase best practice in each of the priority themes we highlighted in Every Move.
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Climate adaptation and biodiversity action
Whalley Range Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club
Whalley Range Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club is an inner-city Manchester community club who have been at their Kingsbrook Road location since 1923.
In 2012, the club experienced drought followed by a 1-in-100-year flooding event.
The same level of flooding then occurred in 2016, 2017, and every year after that.
The outfield was flooding annually and the square requiring watering by April and May.
The club decided to act:
Read more- Native trees and fruit trees were planted on the outskirts of the field to better soak up excess water.
- The outskirts were left to rewild with reduced mowing and trimming – 'not being able to find a ball is not the end of the world, but climate change could be'.
- Daisies, clovers, and other ground covers were allowed to grow on the outfield, welcoming back the worms, insects, and birds.
- Wildlife was further encouraged with bug hotels and bird boxes.
The club found plenty of willing partners for this work, from the Woodland Trust, Manchester City Council, to corporates keen to contribute as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). Members volunteered for planting days and helping build bird boxes.
The Whalley Range team want to play their part in protecting the sport for future generations to enjoy. Through their actions, the club has:
- reduced flooding from intense rainfall in summer
- improved soil health and reduced erosion
- increased natural nitrogen levels in the soil
- removed the need to buy pesticides to maintain the grounds, as the natural system of worms, insects, and birds keeps the pests away.
The club has reached record membership and believe their environmental sustainability work has contributed to member retention and engagement.
Their top tips:
- Play your part, start planting trees
- Let spaces rewild, sometimes ‘benign neglect’ is best.
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Championing inclusion
Deer Park Archers
Deer Park Archers is a community archery club in Gloucestershire that exemplifies sustainability, participation, and inclusion.
Traditionally, archery can present barriers to participation.
Deer Park strives to be inclusive for all ages, physical abilities, neurodiversities and financial situations, as well as promoting environmental sustainability:
- The outdoor grass shooting surface was reinforced with a plastic grid to allow for all weather, all ability use.
- Specific have-a-go days are hosted for people with diverse neuro or physical abilities to provide a safe introduction to the sport.
- The facility is built on an old, inert landfill site, the team have reduced invasive species and re-introduced native species and woodland.
- The neighbouring recycling plant is a major sponsor, supplying many of the materials that the club requires.
Deer Park Archers have developed an inclusive culture where everyone identifies with the club and its values.
The club is a buzzing community hub, where the local astronomy club use the facilities at night, the prison service uses the grounds for exercising their dogs, and on weekday mornings their own ‘Men in Sheds’ group meet at the club to help with club maintenance, volunteer for community projects, and generally enjoy the social interaction and fulfilment it brings.
By focusing on the individual and not just the archer, Deer Park Archers have strengthened their position for grants and financial support from the local council and community.
And by providing an accessible, inclusive, and safe space for people of all ages and abilities to participate, the club has seen a significant increase in membership.
Their top tips:
- Work with your members and community to consider what you are trying to achieve and develop a vision and a mission. Embed these into the culture.
- Engage with your community and build partnerships to deliver positive outcomes together.
Accelerating carbon emissions reduction
Active Humber
Active Humber is part of the national network of Active Partnerships and, as a charity, exists to make it easier for everyone to enjoy an active life.
The Humber region faces dual challenges: it's both one of the highest carbon emitting and least physically active regions in the UK.
The changing climate is already impacting our ability to play sport and be active.
With a core mission to promote physical activity, Active Humber recognised that sedentary lifestyles often coincide with high-carbon behaviours (e.g., car travel rather than active travel).
Their CEO saw the need for leadership in the sector and acted, firmly believing that sport can be a catalyst for climate action.
Active Humber started by tackling their own carbon emissions.
Rather than starting with carbon calculators, they focused on12 carbon reduction actions across their operations, including:
- moving office to a low-carbon building
- prioritising hybrid meetings to reduce travel
- switching to an ethical, low-carbon bank and pension provider
- encouraging employees to reduce energy use at home
- purchasing local, sustainable sports equipment and clothing.
To support clubs and the community to reduce emissions, Active Humber provides several online resources, including roadmaps, plans, and videos.
Their top tips:
- Just do it! You don’t need a carbon footprint to act. Change your electricity supplier, reduce your milage, carpool to your next event.
- Partner and collaborate with others, we’re in this together.
Contributing to the circular economy
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)
The LTA is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, responsible for the governance, workforce support, events and competitive structure for the game, including supporting over 16,500 registered venues.
Tennis, as with many sports, struggles with the wasteful behaviours of a linear economy; where products are bought, used briefly, and then disposed of.
Through its Environmental Sustainability Plan, the LTA has set out how it will deliver on its vision of tennis opened up and secure a lasting future for tennis in Britain, addressing issues related to climate action, resource efficiency and the natural environment.
At major events, the LTA has actioned circular economy initiatives, such as:
- improved waste separation (more types of bins)
- reusing event staff uniforms
- introduced reusable cups and providing water bottle refill stations
- using branded material from previous events to manufacture water bottle holders, and recycled plastic bottles to make media bibs
- sourcing locally and considering low-carbon food, as well as donating leftover food to charities
- using ‘hydrotreated vegetable oil’ (HVO) biofuel in generators.
Within their operations, the LTA has started to engage with their suppliers on environmental sustainability.
The team developed a sustainable sourcing code, have rolled out a supplier questionnaire , and are working collaboratively with suppliers to reduce impact.
To support positive action across registered venues and the wider tennis landscape, the LTA provide great online resources, including templates for environmental sustainability policies and action plans, and an innovative partnership with Pledgeball to encourage participants to take positive actions.
Their top tips:
- If you need help starting, look for resources, they are out there!
- Start collecting data, it helps with understanding and shows the impact of initiatives.
Enhancing biodiversity
The National Trust
The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity with a purpose to deliver benefit to the nation through nature, history and beauty.
By 2030, the Trust aims to enhance urban green spaces and link access to the countryside to create 20 ‘green corridors’.
These corridors will provide valuable habitats for biodiversity and wildlife, as well as improving access to nature and encouraging active lifestyles.
Green corridors are connected areas of green space, vital for biodiversity to enable movement of wildlife.
One of the Trust’s key challenges is balancing access (people) and biodiversity (nature).
The green corridors are being developed together with local communities, partners and specialists to ensure both people and nature benefit,
The first green corridor announced was Bathampton Meadows, located to the east of Bath city centre.
The land was previously low quality, drained agricultural land. The Trust is regenerating the land by re-wetting, re-wilding, and re-introducing local native species.
The Bathampton Meadows vision includes:
- 30 hectares of habitat rich wildflower meadow
- 2 hectares of wetland creation for the population of wild beavers
- 1.4 km of hedgerow and 600 trees planted,
- Community orchard with endangered local heritage varieties of fruit tree
- 7 km of new ‘path for all’ access.
The Trust’s green corridor programme is an excellent example of multiple partners and communities working towards large-scale biodiversity improvements.
Green corridors can also be small scale, e.g., a group of neighbours planting native trees in their backyards, improving biodiversity and connectivity for local wildlife.
Their top tips:
- Plant native trees and vegetation
- Build a bug hotel for you or your club’s property
- Create partnerships to amplify impact
- Balance the needs of people and nature.
Protecting our blue-green environments
Paddle UK
Paddle UK (formerly British Canoeing) is the national governing body for paddle sports.
Paddlers see first-hand the impacts of climate change and pollution on ‘blue’ environments (bodies of water including canals, rivers, lakes, sea-coast etc.).
Paddle UK are playing an active role in responding to these challenges, encouraged by their members desire to protect the places they paddle, resulting in the launch of their Clear Access Clear Waters Charter in 2018 (renewed in 2023) and a Sustainability Strategy in 2023.
They encourage positive environmental behaviours, including the following initiatives:
- Developed the ‘Paddlers’ Code’, to guide paddlers on best practice to respect, protect, and enjoy the natural environment - inspired by Natural England’s the Countryside Code.
- Facilitate the annual ‘Big Paddle Cleanup’ campaign, encouraging and equipping local clubs to organise their own local waterway clean-up events. In 2023, over 2,600 volunteer paddlers participated, removing around 1,800 sacks of rubbish from local waterways.
- Lead action on managing Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), partnering with Government, providing guidance and removal kits, and organising volunteer events.
- Partnering with key stakeholders including the Clean Waters Alliance and the End Sewage Pollution Coalition.
Paddle UK believe in having a positive impact on the blue environment, as much as it has a positive impact on us.
The team have found that their environmental actions have also helped engage and retain members, bring clubs and communities together, and improve the skills of new paddlers.
Their top tips:
- Partner with others: ‘our voice is louder, and our impact is larger, together’
- Have a positive impact on the natural environment around you.