Date posted 04 Sep 2019
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Better Cardiff is both proud and honoured to have been nominated for a Social Business Wales Award in the category of Customer Facing Social Enterprise.

As noted by Social Business Wales '…Social businesses are an important and dynamic component of the Welsh economy. They deliver good jobs, closer to home, where communities need them. Social businesses work actively to address local issues through trading and then reinvesting the income they earn into the things that matter to them'.

Greenwich Leisure (opertating under the branding, Better) was established in 1993 when London’s Greenwich Council needed to find a new way to run its Leisure Centres due to public spending cuts. Without a new way of operating, vital community facilities would have closed leaving a huge void for the local population.

Consequently, Greenwich Leisure Limited, the UKs first Social Enterprise Leisure Trust was born. Both then and now our Mission Statement has been to help more people, in more communities, feel better by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.

Since 1st December 2016, we have been delivering this successful and sustainable model in Cardiff following the transfer of 8 Cardiff Council Leisure Facilities. Our journey so far has been challenging – but rewarding.

For example, using a Social Impact Value Calculation (verified by Experian and Sheffield Hallam University) GLL has impacted Cardiff to the value of £13.4 million in the 4 Classifications of Health, Well-Being, Education and Crime Prevention.

The journey is far from over – and we still have plenty of work to do. However, we are extremely proud of our nomination and we thank the Social Business Awards for their consideration. Most importantly, we are proud of our Cardiff Workforce who have faced all challenges head on – and strive to deliver excellence within their Communities every day.