press release: GLL
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PRESS RELEASE
GLL wins national award
16 Jul 2025
/ GLL
Charitable social enterprise and worker-owned co-op GLL has scooped the Social Business Pioneer award at the Pioneers Post NatWest SE100 Social Business Awards 2025.
The national awards celebrate the best of the UK's social businesses - a movement that contributes £78bn to the national economy annually and employs 2.3m people.
GLL prevailed in a hotly-fought category which included Caring Connections, Green Estate, Groundwork North Wales, Hey Girls and HILS.
GLL were awarded 'Joint Winners' with HILS - an older people's charity working in the south east of England.
GLL's win acknowledges the breadth and scale of impact on local communities across the UK for over 32 years - from health and wellbeing gains to economic opportunity and literacy promotion - operating 'profit with purpose'.
The judges said GLL remained one of the best established social businesses in the country, having overcome the challenges of the pandemic and once again thriving as a business in a low-margin sector.
GLL is also confirmed as one of the top 100 social enterprises in the country as part of the NatWestSE100 awards process.
GLL's Deputy Chief Executive Phil Donnay joined colleagues from GLL's Manchester Partnership Team to collect the award at a ceremony in Manchester on 15 July.
He commented: "Winning the Social Business Pioneer award is a great acknowledgement not only of GLL's socially purposed business and organisational culture but of the power of the social enterprise sector to change lives for the better.
"Social enterprises have communities at their heart, are resilient, strong, innovative and cannot be bought out. We are the ideal partners to deliver public services sustainably and ethically."
The news follows hard on the heels of GLL's successful appearance at the Co-Op Congress in Rochdale, 4-5 July - where over 350 delegates gathered to celebrate the role of co-ops in public service delivery and community resilience as part of Co-op Fortnight.
GLL's worker-owned co-op has returned over £100m of investment in local communities since 1993 - including the GLL Sport Foundation and GLL Literary Foundation.
To find out more, go to: UK's best social enterprise pioneers revealed at SE100 Awards 2025 | The Social Enterprise Magazine - Pioneers Post
More press releases and updates from GLL:
This week (17 June) saw charitable social enterprise GLL bring together invited guests from
across Parliament, local government, national sector bodies, cultural organisations, the
literary community and sports bodies at a celebration to mark the successful first year of
the GLL Literary Foundation.
GLL, the charitable social enterprise operating Libraries and Leisure Centres across the UK,
has today (9 June 2026) announced that it will be supporting the National Year of Reading as
a major campaign partner alongside national organisations, including BBC Sport, Audible, DC
Thomson and Tesco.
School assemblies and water safety messages as part of swim lessons. The UK's largest
public pools and swim school operator, GLL, is providing timely activities during Drowning
Prevention Week (13-20 June 2026) to raise awareness of water safety ahead of kids breaking
up for the summer holidays.
Picture caption (left to right): At Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park's Copper Box Arena - GSF
Legacy Amabassador Ellie Simmonds OBE, GSF Programme's Louise Smith & Tony Wallace, and GSF
2026 Cohort athletes Autumn Eke, Sidonie Cleave, Mohammed Belbouab,
11 new GLL venues added this April are a 'win:win' Pitch booking solutions company
PlayFootball have added a further 11 GLL venues which can now be conveniently hired online
on their platform - keeping more local communities across the UK active, with mor
GLL: news from HCMmag.com and FitTechGlobal.com
Work has started on the £68.7 million refurbishment of the historic Kings Hall Leisure Centre in
Hackney, with a planned reopening in early 2029.
Charitable social enterprise, GLL has launched an enhanced digital health and wellbeing
platform on its Better_uk App, called Live Better.
GLL: featured in HCM and Fit Tech magazines
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Environment: Cutting carbon
With skillful management and investment, it’s possible
to cut running costs in swimming pools, while also
reducing their carbon footprint, as Abi Harris reports
GLL
Address:
Middlegate House,
The Royal Arsenal,
London,
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Peter Bundey, chief executive
HCM SUMMIT
Watch Peter Bundey, CEO, GLL, speak at HCM Summit 2025
GLL video gallery:
Key personnel
Peter Bundey, chief executive
Phil Donnay, deputy chief executive & CFRO
Phil Donnay, deputy chief executive & CFRO
Key customers
Companies we work with include:
• Annodata,
• Physical Company,
• Technogym,
• Change Please, and
• Divine Chocolate.
Local Authorities and Agencies we work with include:
• Greenwich Council,
• Belfast City Council,
• Cardiff City Council,
• Lee Valley Regional Park Authority,
• LLDC,
• ukactive,
• SportsAid,
• SportsAid Wales,
• Mary Peters Trust,
• Swim England, and
• Sport England.
• Annodata,
• Physical Company,
• Technogym,
• Change Please, and
• Divine Chocolate.
Local Authorities and Agencies we work with include:
• Greenwich Council,
• Belfast City Council,
• Cardiff City Council,
• Lee Valley Regional Park Authority,
• LLDC,
• ukactive,
• SportsAid,
• SportsAid Wales,
• Mary Peters Trust,
• Swim England, and
• Sport England.
Plans for the next 12 months
Our 2026 strategies and roadmap are
already well-shaped and are based on
our Five-Year Plan, launched in 2024.
With our positive performance and improved social outcomes during 2024, GLL is well placed to be at the forefront of societal, economic and environmental change.
The future will see us focusing on excellent customer service alongside our social enterprise values and growing our social impact, while new partnerships with Government Departments, NHS, National Agencies and numerous National Charities will support individual wellness and economic outcomes.
With our positive performance and improved social outcomes during 2024, GLL is well placed to be at the forefront of societal, economic and environmental change.
The future will see us focusing on excellent customer service alongside our social enterprise values and growing our social impact, while new partnerships with Government Departments, NHS, National Agencies and numerous National Charities will support individual wellness and economic outcomes.
Testimonial
“We made the decision to begin supporting the GLL Sport Foundation in 2015, and it is a pleasure to announce the renewal of our sponsorship with this incredible institution.
"Many bright and talented athletes throughout the United Kingdom are unable to chase their dreams of sporting glory due to lack of funding. We are passionate about helping GSF give equal opportunities to all young people and achieving their dreams of competing on the international stage.
"Our partnership enables both our brands to share the success of the UK’s most aspiring athletes who we are proud to have heard speak in such an inspirational way at our internal Sales Conferences and who have supported our marketing and brand development goals through representation and storytelling both in person and via social media”.
– Rod Tonna-Barthet, chief executive, Annodata
"Many bright and talented athletes throughout the United Kingdom are unable to chase their dreams of sporting glory due to lack of funding. We are passionate about helping GSF give equal opportunities to all young people and achieving their dreams of competing on the international stage.
"Our partnership enables both our brands to share the success of the UK’s most aspiring athletes who we are proud to have heard speak in such an inspirational way at our internal Sales Conferences and who have supported our marketing and brand development goals through representation and storytelling both in person and via social media”.
– Rod Tonna-Barthet, chief executive, Annodata
Testimonial
"I am so thankful for the support I have received from GLL Sport Foundation. My first individual medal ever is extremely special, and I would not be here if it wasn’t for the support, I have received from the GLL ‘family’.”
– Daryll Neita, Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze and silver medalist, GLL Athlete
– Daryll Neita, Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze and silver medalist, GLL Athlete
Testimonial
"This exciting new chapter cements the future of our six key sports venues and is part of our commitment to the many communities we serve far and wide. We have carefully structured this partnership with GLL to ensure that visitors will continue to enjoy the very best in these stellar, highly popular venues. We look forward to together creating exciting new programmes and activities that draw on the strengths of both organisations.
“These venues are part of the Lee Valley visitor experience and will continue to be so with some of the best facilities and most inspiring settings to be found anywhere. As part of the partnership Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will continue to invest to ensure that they go from strength to strength, delivering real impact for communities.”
– Shaun Dawson chief executive, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
“These venues are part of the Lee Valley visitor experience and will continue to be so with some of the best facilities and most inspiring settings to be found anywhere. As part of the partnership Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will continue to invest to ensure that they go from strength to strength, delivering real impact for communities.”
– Shaun Dawson chief executive, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
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