November 2025

Spirit of 2012 is the London 2012 Olympic legacy entity in charge of the social legacy of the Games. Could you define the scope of your work over the past 13 years? Could you also share a few key figures that give an overview of Spirit of 2012’s activities?

Spirit was set up to capture the magic of the London 2012 Games and make sure its impact on people and communities didn’t fade. Funded by the National Lottery, we’ve supported projects across sport, arts, culture, volunteering, education and heritage, always focusing on finding and then breaking down the barriers to participation.
Over the past 12 years, we’ve awarded £50m in grants, reaching 3.5 million people. Our projects have helped 104,000 people get involved in long-term activities and given 64,000 the chance to volunteer. We’ve also played a role in major events like the Commonwealth Games, UK Cities of Culture, Eurovision, and commemorations such as King Charles III’s Coronation and the Good Friday Agreement’s 25th anniversary.
We also commission research and work in partnership to convene organisations that commission, develop or deliver events to ensure that the strategic use of events as a policy intervention for social good is well understood and supported. This has included running an independent inquiry into the power of events, and working to ensure that the UK is able to harnesses the collective power of its events as well as delivering individual impacts.

What is the specificity of Spirit of 2012 as a legacy entity within the “galaxy” of organisations managing the 2012 Games legacy? How has collaboration worked with these other legacy entities and the Greater London Authority?

Our focus has always been the social legacy. Creating lasting benefits for people and communities across the whole of the UK, not just London. That’s what has made us different. It’s rare to have an organisation dedicated to social outcomes across so many sectors, and it’s meant we have been able to complement the work of other legacy organisations like LLDC (London Legacy Development Corporation) and the GLA (Greater London Authority).
We’ve worked closely with these partners on projects like Get Set, which was the London 2012 Education Programme, supporting its evolution from the Games in Rio to the Paris Games. We also funded Unlimited, the disability arts strand of the Cultural Olympiad, and Elevate, LLDC’s Youth Panel, to explore what legacy means to young people today.
Together, we’ve helped tell the bigger story of the London 2012 legacy, both local improvements in East London and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and also social and economic impacts across the UK. In 2022, 65% of people across the UK and 75% in London said the Games still had an impact on them. That is a legacy we can all be proud of.

As a legacy entity, knowing from the start the end date of your mission is rather uncommon. How has this impacted your mission, governance, and operations?

Because our funding comes from the National Lottery we had to spend it in a timeframe that benefits those that played, so we always knew that we would close. I have often described being a time-limited organisation as our superpower, it has enabled us to focus, resolutely on our mission and not be drawn in to fundraising or strategic changes to suit other funders. Our initial endowment of £47m was generous but over more than 10 years and across the UK is not as big as it initially sounds.
We developed a clear Theory of Change to guide us, focusing on three outcomes: increased wellbeing, stronger social connections, and changing attitudes towards disability. Every project we funded had to show how it contributed to these goals, which kept us on track and true to our purpose.
As we approach closure, it’s been incredibly rewarding to reflect on the impact we’ve had. We’ve been lucky to have a small, dedicated team and a supportive Board who’ve steered us through the years.

Spirit of 2012 is about legacy. What is your own legacy as an organisation, and how will you ensure that all the knowledge acquired is passed on and preserved?

As we near closure, we’ve focused on sharing what we’ve learned. Instead of commissioning a final evaluation, we invited three expert organisations to dive into our archives and create resources on wellbeing, social connection, and disability. These, along with hundreds of documents and handy Starter Packs, are available in a new Knowledge Bank on our redesigned website, which will stay live for three years after we close.
We’ve also brought together policymakers, commissioners and delivery organisations to shape the future of UK events. This group will continue meeting after we close, which is hugely important. On top of that, we’re working with Loughborough University to archive all our materials, so they remain accessible.
We’re here until January 2026 and would love to share our learning with anyone interested. Just get in touch!

As an affiliate member of the Union, what is, for you, the value of belonging to a network and of sharing experiences with other legacy entities?

Spirit of 2012 has always been about learning, whether that’s from others or through partnerships. Being part of the World Union of Olympic Cities has been brilliant, particularly in giving us the chance to see how legacy is delivered across the entire Olympic and Paralympic family. For a small UK organisation, these connections have been invaluable in shaping how we think about and champion legacy for the future.