CIMSPA member Andrew Thomas joins Sport Wales Advisory Group

CIMSPA Wales board member Andrew Thomas is one of nine new members of the prestigious Sport Wales Advisory Group.

The group is the first of its kind to be established to develop new strategic thinking to help broaden sport’s appeal amongst the less active, and members include key figures from business, research and the public sector.

Andrew is the group manager for sport, play and active wellbeing within Bridgend County Borough Council and is also completing a dissertation on leisure contract arrangements at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Commenting on his appointment, Andrew said: “I feel that this is both a unique and challenging time for the sport and physical activity sector and I am looking forward to engaging with and learning from some high-calibre individuals. It’s a real privilege to be part of this group and to start an exploration of new approaches to increasing participation, particularly in relation to redressing imbalances for hard to reach groups.

“The need for change is a key driver for the advisory group and my view is that we can no longer rely on our knowledge of how things have been done in the past. Instead, the development of a professional response to the identified needs of society based on best practice, recognised standards and evidenced social impact will the way forward and there is an important role here for CIMSPA to play.”

Andrew has promised to keep CIMSPA Wales informed as to the group’s activities and how CIMSPA Wales can engage with this important work from Sport Wales. Full details on the other new members of the group are available on the Sport Wales website HERE.