My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Harvi
Last Name
Singh
Pronouns
He/Him
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
0
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
London Borough of Harrow
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
1965
Initiative Title
Bannister Sports Centre – Athletics Track Top Layer Replacement
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
www.harrow.gov.uk
Initiative Stage
Idea (You have a solid concept and are hoping to get started in the future)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Health & Fitness
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
The Bannister Sports Centre Athletics Track reimagined will safeguard and upgrade Harrow’s only public athletics track while complementing a wider Council investment scheme in refurbishing the pavilion, including the changing rooms, to create a safer, more inclusive and also welcoming site that unlocks long‑term, user‑led opportunities for local schools (including SEN), families and priority community groups.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
We are deeply rooted in the communities most affected by this project. As the site freeholder, Harrow Council works daily with Everyone Active, Harrow Athletics Club and partners including Saracens Foundation, Young Harrow Foundation, Harrow Mencap, Harrow Women’s Centre, HACAS and Kids Can Achieve. These relationships give first-hand insight into barriers such as cost, confidence, cultural expectations, disability access and session timings. This helps shape targeted programmes, priority school and community bookings, low-cost or free tasters and referrals through health pathways, ensuring the upgrade meets real needs. In Harrow, many residents—especially women and girls, disabled people, ethnically diverse communities and low-income families—face persistent barriers to being active. Reducing these strengthens health, wellbeing, confidence and social belonging. Inclusive spaces narrow participation gaps and create pathways into volunteering, leadership and employment. The deteriorating track surface now limits safe use, reduces school and club bookings, restricts wheelchair racing and frame running, and discourages casual users. Without a reliable, community-focused offer, many stay inactive or disengage. Bannister can reverse this as a visible, accessible hub with strong school and community links. To reach the least active, the site must feel safer, more consistent in quality and shaped with the community. This project tackles both the physical barrier of the worn track and the social barriers of belonging, affordability and cultural safety. Alongside the track upgrade, the Council is improving the pavilion and changing rooms to create a more welcoming environment and re-establish Bannister as a catalyst for health and inclusion.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Our “aha” moment came during a summer 2025 engagement at Bannister Sports Centre. Track‑side conversations with young people, women and girls, disabled groups and low‑income families revealed a consistent message: “We want to be active, but the track and pavilion don’t feel welcoming, and some areas feel unsafe or unusable.” Many said the worn surface made them feel they “didn’t belong”, while others had stopped attending because damaged areas felt “too risky”. These overlapping messages made clear that motivation wasn’t the issue—the condition of the track was. This led to the realisation that Bannister urgently needed refurbishment. Our solution is to resurface the track and reprogramme access around community needs, creating a flexible, inclusive and welcoming space. Planned activities include Open Track Socials; girls‑only and faith‑sensitive sessions; SEND quiet hours; wheelchair racing and frame running; school‑day PE blocks; FUNetics and holiday camps; community meets and festivals; and adapted cycling with Evolve Cycling. The initiative is built on strong local partnerships. As freeholder, Harrow Council works closely with Everyone Active, Harrow Athletics Club, Saracens Foundation, Young Harrow Foundation, Harrow Mencap, Harrow Women’s Centre, HACAS and Kids Can Achieve. These relationships provide real‑time insight into barriers such as cost, confidence, cultural needs and disability access, shaping targeted programmes, priority bookings and referral pathways. Governance is shared: the Council and Everyone Active support inclusive pricing and priority slots, Harrow Athletics Club provides coaching pathways, and schools and community partners shape outreach so the refurbished track benefits those who need it most.
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Young people and the wider community sit at the heart of this project, shaping both the upgrade and the solutions we will deliver. We are responding directly to concerns from schools, clubs, families and local groups about safety, uneven surfaces and reduced confidence in using the track. Their lived experience justified prioritising investment and continues to guide programming for those who rely on the facility most. We work with school PE leads, Harrow Athletics Club and youth networks such as Young Harrow Foundation and Kids Can Achieve to understand barriers including cost, confidence, cultural needs, disability access and timings. This insight shapes timetables, session formats and inclusive offers such as FUNetics, women‑only sessions and disability‑inclusive activity. Community partners including Harrow Mencap, Saracens Foundation, Harrow Women’s Centre, HACAS and Evolve Cycling support outreach, advise on accessibility and adapt sessions for under‑represented groups. As landowner, Harrow Council works closely with Everyone Active and Harrow AC, embedding community voice into operations, priority bookings and low‑cost or free tasters. Partner feedback ensures programmes are welcoming and meet cultural and accessibility needs. Participants also progress into volunteering and coaching roles, building peer support and a stronger local workforce. Through health referrals and community signposting, we reach the least active and remove cost and confidence barriers. The track upgrade is the catalyst; sustainability comes from weekly targeted sessions, inclusive pricing and reinvesting income into maintenance. Women‑only hours and a welcoming environment strengthen safeguarding, belonging and affordability for those facing the greatest inequalities.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
The upgrade at Bannister will significantly expand access to physical activity by transforming the track into a high‑quality, compliant, year-round community facility. A reliable surface will remove barriers that currently limit participation, especially for beginners, young people, disabled residents and female users who report reduced confidence when spaces feel unsafe or unwelcoming. The modernised track will support safe use, structured club sessions and inclusive formats such as wheelchair racing and frame running. Alongside this, the Council is refurbishing the pavilion and changing rooms with new flooring and redecoration, creating a more welcoming environment and strengthening the site as a community hub.We aim to deliver measurable impact by: engaging 200+ young people (40% girls, 20% disabled/SEND, 60% from lower‑income households); retaining 50% of first‑timers within four weeks; supporting 30% into regular sessions or leadership pathways; achieving 70% reporting increased confidence; enabling 50% to reach 60 active minutes three days per week; delivering monthly wheelchair/frame‑running sessions; offering weekly SEND quiet hours; ensuring dedicated girls‑only slots; and re‑establishing school PE use. Impact will be monitored through simple registration, surveys, session counts, progression data and quarterly partner feedback. The upgraded track will act as a catalyst for long‑term change, creating a safe, trusted space that encourages family activity, strengthens school engagement and expands inclusive, culturally sensitive provision. Combined with wider site improvements, Bannister will become a more accessible and community‑owned asset, aligned with the Challenge’s ambition to open sustainable movement opportunities for those facing the greatest barriers.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Our initiative stands out because it goes far beyond a traditional track upgrade. Rather than treating the new surface as the end point, we use it as the foundation for a reimagined model of community access, inclusive participation and long-term activation. Our approach is built around the least active residents, blending infrastructure renewal with behaviour change methods that make the space welcoming, intuitive and genuinely equitable. What makes our model different and innovative: • User-led governance: Local users help shape programme priorities and propose ideas for allocating slots, shifting power from consultation to shared decision-making. • “Pace & Purpose” lane design: Friendly, non-intimidating signage (Run / Jog / Walk / Wheel) and high-contrast markings support confidence for first-timers and enable wheelchair racing, frame running and other inclusive formats. • Inclusion built in, not added on: Women-only windows, SEND quiet hours and faith-sensitive scheduling are core timetable elements, making inclusive access predictable and consistent. • A beginner-focused pathway: A progression from FUNetics → Beginner Blocks → Regular Groups → Leadership roles helps young people and adults build skills at their own pace through affordable, reliable weekly sessions. • A partnership powered model: Community organisations receive priority booking and programme blocks, ensuring the space reaches those who need it most. Partners include Young Harrow Foundation, Harrow Mencap, Harrow Women’s Centre, HACAS, Kids Can Achieve and Evolve Cycling. Together, this initiative reimagines a traditional athletics facility as a vibrant, multi-use, community-led movement hub designed to activate those least likely to take part in sport and sustain long-term, meaningful change.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
We are setting the initiative up for long‑term success through strong governance, committed partnerships and a sustainable operating model. As landowner and lead applicant, the London Borough of Harrow provides strategic oversight, technical assurance and alignment with health, inclusion and wellbeing priorities. Operational model: • Lead: LBoH – Culture, Environment & Economy Directorate (asset stewardship, strategic alignment). • Operator: Everyone Active (programme delivery, staffing, outreach, daily operations). • Technical partner: Harrow Athletics Club (coaching workforce, young‑leader development, volunteer pathways). • Community partners: Young Harrow Foundation, Harrow Mencap, Harrow Women’s Centre, Kids Can Achieve, HACAS and Evolve Cycling. Ensuring sustainability – Weekly targeted sessions for women and girls, disabled residents, children and ethnically diverse communities will form a permanent timetable, ensuring predictable year‑round access. Income from hire, training sessions and events will be reinvested into maintenance. Regular inspections, cleaning and timely repairs will protect the surface. Strong partnerships ensure reliable delivery, culturally relevant programmes and an evolving offer that grows with community need. Scalability – The Bannister model will act as a blueprint for activating other outdoor spaces across Harrow using community co‑design, targeted engagement, inclusive pricing and integrated health‑referral pathways. Participation data and feedback will guide expansion of beginner pathways, disability‑inclusive activity and women‑only provision. Additional funding will help grow coaching capacity and outreach, enabling a replicable, inclusive approach to community sport.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Our initiative is built on a strong, collaborative structure where each partner plays a defined role, ensuring high-quality delivery, safeguarding, and long-term community impact. London Borough of Harrow (Lead Applicant) - The Council provides strategic leadership, oversees asset management and capital works, sets equitable pricing, and embeds safeguarding and equality standards. It leads monitoring and evaluation and chairs a quarterly Open Forum to ensure transparency, shared learning and community accountability. Everyone Active (Operator) - Everyone Active manages day to day operations—staffing, safe site management, programme delivery, targeted outreach and core sessions such as open track, women-only hours, SEND blocks and beginner groups. They also capture participation data to support insight driven improvements. Harrow Athletics Club (Technical Partner) - Harrow AC provides specialist coaching expertise, delivers inclusive session formats, mentors young leaders and supports volunteer recruitment. They co-produce festivals and events, ensuring clear pathways from participation to performance. Schools (including SEN settings) - Schools integrate track use into curriculum timetables, identify less active pupils and strengthen early engagement. Their involvement ensures consistent access for children and young people. Community Partners - Organisations including Young Harrow Foundation, Harrow Mencap, Harrow Women’s Centre, Kids Can Achieve, HACAS and Evolve Cycling deliver targeted outreach and remove practical barriers through bursaries, translation, escorted visits and culturally sensitive support. They help co-design and deliver specialist sessions shaped by lived experience. Together, this shared responsibility model plays to each organisation’s strengths, creating a dynamic, community-rooted initiative that is operationally strong and highly responsive to those who need it most.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Below is an expanded and energised overview of the milestones required to bring the initiative to life and support its long-term growth. The plan is structured to ensure strong delivery, deep community engagement, and an enduring legacy of inclusive physical activity in Harrow. 1. Pre Implementation (Grant Award → Sept 2026) This phase lays the foundations for a smooth, high quality capital project. Finalise the full technical specification for the EPDM track resurfacing and begin procurement in line with Council regulations to ensure quality and value. Appoint a specialist contractor and agree a works schedule that minimises disruption for schools, clubs, and community users. Develop the detailed implementation plan covering risk management, communications, community engagement, and a monitoring framework that aligns with the Fund’s priority audiences. Begin early engagement with partners and residents to build momentum and co design early elements of the new programme offer. 2. Capital Delivery (Sept 2026 – Sept 2027) This phase transforms the facility into a fully compliant, safe, and inspiring community asset. Complete all site preparation including safety measures, pre works inspections, and drainage assessments. Deliver resurfacing works: removal of the old surface, installation of the new EPDM rubber crumb system, re marking, and rigorous quality assurance checks. Install accessibility friendly signage and establish an entry level equipment library to support beginners and disability sport users. Secure final certification ensuring compliance with UK Athletics TrackMark standards. Reopen the track with coordinated communications, celebration events, and stakeholder engagement to maximise visibility and early take up. Capital Delivery Snapshot (Months 0–4): - Procurement → resurfacing → re marking → accessibility signage. 3. Co Design & Soft Launch (Months 2–5) A parallel phase ensuring the programme begins as community owned, inclusive, and welcoming. Recruit the Youth Track Council and run partner timetable workshops to shape early programme slots. Refresh safeguarding and cultural safety protocols across all partners. Soft launch activity begins: Open Track Socials, two girls only windows per week, one SEND quiet hour per week, and school day blocks. 4. Community Activation (From Reopening – Month 12) This phase embeds inclusive, confidence building activity into everyday community life. Introduce structured programmes for priority groups including women and girls, disabled residents, and ethnically diverse communities. Launch expanded sessions: beginner athletics, FUNetics (ages 4–11), inclusive disability sport, family movement sessions, jogging/walking blocks, and inclusive cycling with Evolve Cycling. Provide low cost or free tasters, priority booking for community groups, and clear pathways from introductory activity to regular participation or leadership. Programme Growth (Months 6–12): - Monthly / Quarterly micro meets and festivals → wheelchair/frame running slots → Evolve Cycling inclusion projects → expanded FUNetics → holiday camps. 5. Sustainability & Legacy (Ongoing) This final phase ensures long term impact, continuous improvement, and scalable success. Embed all programmes into core delivery through Everyone Active and community partners so they become permanent offers, not short term pilots. Implement a robust maintenance plan: inspections, cleaning, drainage management, and rapid repairs to maximise surface life. Reinvest income from track hire, events, and club use directly into facility upkeep and expanded programming. Pursue additional funding from England Athletics, John Lyon Trust, and wider partners to further strengthen coaching, inclusivity, and outreach capacity. Use quarterly Open Forums and participation dashboards to review impact, refine pricing and access, and replicate successful formats in other local venues. Together, these milestones create a clear, ambitious, and achievable journey—transforming Bannister Sports Centre into a thriving, inclusive movement hub that grows year on year and reaches those who need it most.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
To fully participate in the 8‑week capacity‑building programme as a finalist, we would require up to £10,000 to remove financial barriers and ensure our team and community members can engage meaningfully. The funding would cover the essential costs outlined below: 1. Staff Time Support The largest cost relates to freeing up capacity for our project leads so they can participate fully in workshops, mentoring sessions, and programme tasks without compromising day‑to‑day service delivery. We anticipate £2000 to backfill staff time or provide temporary support within the team. 2. Specialist Expertise To strengthen our financial planning, evaluation framework, capital delivery readiness, and long‑term sustainability model, we would allocate £1000 for specialist consultancy. This may include finance input, monitoring and evaluation support, or technical advice related to our capital project and activation plans. 3. Community Engagement & Inclusion Costs To ensure that priority community groups—particularly disabled residents, young people, women and girls, and ethnically diverse communities—are meaningfully involved throughout the programme, we expect £5000 for engagement activities. This may include translation, accessible formats, transport support, small incentives, or co‑design workshops that allow lived‑experience voices to shape our work. 4. Digital Tools & Collaboration Resources To participate effectively in programme activities, we would require £2000 for digital tools that support collaboration, planning, and data capture. This may include software licences, project management platforms, survey tools, or enhanced digital accessibility features for community contributors.
