Outstanding Social Enterprise Winner

Play it Again Sport is a South Wales based social enterprise that encourages local people and organisations (including  rugby, football, tennis and karate clubs from the local area and further afield) to donate unwanted sports kit to enable as many people as possible access sport.

People & Work, trading as Play It Again Sport (PIAS) and Too Good To Waste (TGTW) are the key partners, alongside the local cluster of Rhondda schools.  TGTW has provided retail and business support which has helped to quadruple their income which in turn has helped to support initiatives like their primary inter-school sports days which has enabled over 500 children and 100 parents to take part in sporting activities.

They have also provided individual donations of kit to those who have been referred by colleagues (e.g. a young child who didn’t have appropriate shoes for school; a curling team which didn’t have matching tops to play in a competition). As well as providing volunteering and work experience opportunities for the local comprehensive school.

Being able to supply sports kit at a very low price (or free) has meant that many community members have been able to get into sport without the usual financial burden. The profits made have enabled schools to play each other in a wide range of sports with an emphasis on inclusion (i.e. deliberately targetting those not in elite teams already).  In addition their work helps people to clear their clutter but avoid landfill. If any donated sports kit is not suitable for re-use as clothing, it is recycled as rags.