STATEMENT from the Board of Trustees

The equitysport Board of Trustees have made an important statement as we approach the end of a turbulent year for the charity sector.

Following the publication of the BOND report there has been a lot of publicity relating to the survival of third sector organisations and fundraising in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understandably some of you may be concerned about the survival of equitysport in light of this all. While the impact of the pandemic on the charity sector is undeniably enormous and we face a prolonged period of difficulty, as the trustees of equitysport we want to reassure you that the charity is set up to survive these challenging times.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the equitysport ‘Board of Trustees’ made various decisions to protect the organisation. This included making arrangements so that our organisation could run temporarily on a 100% voluntary basis, meaning we could continue to deliver our programmes with extremely low operating costs.

Not only does this mean that during these difficult times we pass on the maximum value to our beneficiaries and partners but it also means that we can continue to grow some of our programmes without incurring significant additional costs. We would like to thank equitysport's mentors, volunteers and staff for the hard work that has made this unique approach possible.

We strongly believe that sport will play a crucial role in the COVID-19 recovery by helping to empower and inspire young people from communities across the globe. At this difficult time we stand shoulder to shoulder with other organisations that also exist to tackle socioeconomic inequality in global sport.

However, we obviously cannot survive indefinitely with no change in the current fundraising climate and equitysport will continue to find creative ways to raise funds. For this #GivingTuesday our founder Tim Harper along with some special guests will walk for 24 hours straight to raise awareness and funds to advance equality, diversity and equal opportunity in and through global sport . We realise these are challenging times but even modest amounts make an enormous difference to our work, so we would greatly appreciate any support.

Thank you.

Charlene Hogg, Trustee

Charlotte Cousins, Trustee

Garnet Mackinder, Trustee

Sarah Valentine-Bull, Trustee & Honorary Treasurer

Make a donation in support of our #GivingTuesday 24 hour walk HERE.

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equitysport is a UK-registered charity (1189559) that exists to advance equality, diversity and equal opportunity in and through global sport. Through free-form development, education programmes and targeted advocacy the charity seeks an inclusive and equitable sporting ecosystem that lives up to the true values of sport.

Notes to Editors

For interviews or further comment, please contact the team via:

Tim Harper: Chief Executive: tim@equitysport.org

Grace Ramsay: Communications: grace@equitysport.org

Board of Trustees: trustees@equitysport.org