A ‘new platform’ has been given to a Doncaster charity that had seen grants fall by a third, after winning the highest award available to local voluntary groups.
Active Fusion is a children and young person’s charity with a focus on physical health and wellbeing. They work with schools, community groups and businesses throughout South Yorkshire, and currently impact over 35,000 children across the region.
Dave McLeavy, head of People and Partnerships at Active Fusion, said: “A real challenge for a lot of charities is getting in front of the people that want to help the most, and this has really helped us reach so many people even in the short amount of time since the announcement that we won.”
The charity won the 2024 King’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is equivalent to an MBE.
Active Fusion focuses on physical activity as a way to improve the mental health of young people. Mr McLeavy said: “Regardless of your social status or class or income, sport is an opportunity to engage on the same terms and rules as individuals from various different backgrounds. It’s a really wonderful way of unlocking this social opportunity for young people that other activities might prohibit.
“In some settings, we don’t necessarily describe it as ‘sport’, we describe it as ‘movement’ because for some individuals, sport is a barrier in itself. We are trying to embed these habits of movement and sport in children and young people really early on, so it carries through as a way to live happier, longer and more successful lives.”
Active Fusion works with other charities across South Yorkshire, and has plans to expand their reach to 50,000 children and young people next year.
Mr McLeavy said: “We know that we are all fighting for the same mission, and we need to work together to achieve that most fundamentally because the children and the young people in the region are the ones who are going to benefit.”
The charity was able to announce that they had won the award on 14 November, which is King Charles III’s birthday.
“Speaking personally, I felt real excitement and delight,” Mr McLeavy said. “I think it’s the recognition for the hard work that not only our team is doing, but also all of the volunteers that support our core team.
“It’s something that we’re really proud to be able to shout out about.”
Nominations for the 2025 King’s Award for Voluntary Service close today. Mr McLeavy said: “I think it’s really important for people to nominate the charities that they feel are doing the best work. We felt like we were nominated for that exact reason.
“It’s been fantastic for us, and I hope more charities in Doncaster are able to receive the award next year. It’s done a world of good for us, and it will do the world of good for anyone else who is going to receive it.”
Information to nominate a voluntary group can be found here.