Community Leisure UK has a new chair at the helm.
Former Chief Executive of the Jubilee Hall Trust, London; Phil Rumbelow, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of Directors.
He will succeed Stuart Lockwood as chair, who has served as Chair of Community Leisure UK for four years, overseeing the change of brand from Sporta to Community Leisure UK and leading the organisation through the first 18 months of the Covid pandemic.
Chief Executive of Community Leisure UK, Kirsty Cumming, said: “Phil has extensive experience and insight into the charity, sport and leisure sectors and was unanimously appointed by members at the recent Annual General Meeting. We are delighted to welcome Phil as chair of the organisation and to his leadership of the board through the challenging landscape for culture and leisure trusts.”
Phil is the former Chief Executive of Jubilee Hall Trust, retiring from his position there in May 2021. He is also the former Vice-Chair for Community Leisure UK and was a Non-Executive Director of ukactive, and chaired their Membership Council:
“I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair of Community Leisure UK and to continue the good work of my predecessor. Although our members have been through an incredibly difficult time recently, I am hopeful that together we can create opportunities for a brighter future for the sector and continue to demonstrate the incredible social value of the trust model across public leisure and culture.”
The Leisure and Culture Trust sectors face significant challenges over the next 12 months, with a long recovery period and yet another period of uncertainty as we navigate through the Covid-19 pandemic. At a time of reducing budgets within local authorities and increasing financial pressures through energy costs, National Living Wage increases and higher operating costs due to safety protocols, the coming months will be difficult. However, there are equally opportunities to clearly articulate the benefits and social value of leisure and culture trusts.
Outgoing chair Stuart Lockwood said: “To say the last 18 months has been a challenge is a massive understatement. However, this is a sector that does not quit, it is a sector that constantly comes up with new ways to do things because all of our members believe that what we do changes people’s lives for the better. I wish Phil all the best for his tenure of this wonderful organisation.”
