Angela Brown / photo: Frredom Leisure

Freedom Leisure has become the first operator in the UK to be bronze carbon literacy accredited.

We first engaged with this through the Carbon Literacy Sports Kit (www.carbonliteracy.com/sport) and have since acquired the licence to an accredited Carbon Literacy Course developed by Community Leisure UK (www.hcmmag.com/CLUKCL), specifically for charities working in public leisure and culture.

We recognise that success depends on everyone being actively involved and by equipping our colleagues with the knowledge and skills to become carbon literate, we’re committed to empowering each of them to contribute meaningfully to our shared objectives.

Carbon Literate Organisations are accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being “culturally carbon literate” – maintaining a substantial proportion of the workforce as carbon literate and demonstrating its carbon literacy through its organisational behaviour.

Over 70 Freedom Leisure staff are already carbon literate-certified, including our CEO and members of the senior leadership team.

Through individual and group pledges submitted to the Carbon Literacy Project as part of the certification process, the actions committed – in education, energy and resource management and travel – have the potential to drive carbon savings beyond what would have been achieved otherwise.

With over 22 million visits to our venues each year we’re acutely aware of the impact on our client partner’s carbon footprint and we want to use this platform to promote carbon literacy through our staff and customer communications.

This accreditation is reinforcing to our partners that we’re serious about climate change, demonstrating our collective investment in reducing carbon emissions.

The actions taken and pledged by us all as part of this process will have an immediate impact, however it’s the maintenance of these and further actions that will reap the greatest rewards.

Tash Fleming / photo: WeSwim

We’re a community-led, registered charity, dedicated to empowering swimmers with disabilities.

Our clubs provide essential opportunities for them to stay active, improve their mental wellbeing, and feel part of a supportive community.

2024 was a landmark year for WeSwim. We welcomed 222 new swimmers and expanded to two new locations in Vauxhall and Tottenham – parts of London where inclusive activities are often in scarce supply.

For many participants, our clubs are more than just swimming sessions, they’re lifelines – places where loneliness is replaced by friendship, confidence grows with every lap, and physical activity is adapted to meet individual needs.

However, providing these services comes with costs, such as pool hire, adaptive equipment and volunteer training.

The demand for accessible swimming opportunities continues to rise and sustaining these vital services requires ongoing support.

We don’t want to turn people away, but we can’t do it alone and we’re asking for help in keeping clubs running to ensure every Londoner with disabilities has the chance to swim.

Donations can be made online via www.hcmmag.com/weswim and every contribution will help sustain these vital services and bring the joy of swimming to even more people in 2025, when we plan to open three more clubs.

Operators interested in bringing WeSwim to their facilities or making a corporate donation are welcome to get in touch. Contact: [email protected]