Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

Policy Statement

GBA will ensure that EDI is given full regard in its policies, programmes and services for the provision of physical activity across Berkshire.

GBA is committed to advancing equality of opportunity between people; fostering relations between different communities; eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone is expected to share our commitment including people, organisations, and companies we work in partnership with and those who provide services on our behalf.

GBA is fully committed to the principles of equality and diversity of opportunity and is responsible for ensuring that no job applicant, employee, commissioned partner or volunteer receives less favourable treatment or is discriminated on the grounds of the nine protected characteristics within the Equality Act 2010: -

- Age

- Gender reassignment

- Being married or in a civil partnership

- Being pregnant or on maternity leave

- Disability

- Race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin

- Religion or belief

- Sex

- Sexual orientation

GBA will deliver this policy by building EDI into all aspects of its work. All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that members, employees, volunteers and partners are committed to this policy. GBA will address any form of discrimination that occurs within the organisation.

Public Sector Equality Register

As part of our commitment to Equality and working with our public sector partners we have registered with the PS Equality Register and have a certificate of compliance.

Get Berkshire Active Equality Policy

Equality Legislation

Public Organisations are legally obliged to ensure that they do not discriminate against participants, employees, and volunteers on grounds of disability, gender, and race.

Key Legislation

Click here for information on the key pieces of legislation related to promoting equality and tackling unfair discrimination, that have been passed in the UK and EU.

Our Commitment to Diversity on the GBA Board

We do not pursue diversity for the sake of it or to achieve a 'tick-box' result; we do it because diversity brings new thinking and challenge to old ideas. Not only do we want our board and staff to reflect the population they serve we want them to ensure we consider and cater for all aspects of Berkshire society when we make decisions about where we use our resources. We are committed to having no less than 1/3rd of our board from either gender (we currently have 7 women and 5 men) and we welcome and encourage applications from all members of society without prejudice to age, sexual orientation, disability, gender, religion or race. We will ensure any board vacancies receive the widest possible coverage to guarantee that opportunities are seen and available to all.

Some examples of our commitment to Diversity in GBA programmes include:

STARTING LIFE WELL

Make Sense Dance Theatre

Make Sense Dance Theatre were successful in securing Starting Life Well funding for a 12 week programme targeting neurodiverse children aged 9-18, supporting them to explore their creativity through dance. Amongst other transferable skills these sessions provide a key opportunity for this target group to grow in confidence in an environment they would not ordinarily be able to access. The company utilises their links with the community to recruit participants. This targeted programme concludes with a summer festival. Find out more about our Starting Life Well Fund here.

Reading Abbey Rugby Club

Reading Abbey Rugby Club have started to redevelop their women's section. This is focusing on recruiting female players from any background aged 8-18 as well as females interested in coaching and managing. To help achieve this they have connected with the local community and schools. Find out more about our Starting Life Well Fund here.

LIVING WELL

Mums' Zone

As part of our Mums' Zone programme we carried out focus groups at the start of this programme with women from ethnically diverse communities so we could understand their needs and ideas for the programme. These women helped to shape what was delivered, where it was delivered as well as the branding and messaging. We aim to take the programme into the heart of communities. One of the settings we deliver in is a mosque as this is where some women told us they felt most comfortable. Find out more about our Mums' Zone programme here.

AGEING WELL

Ever Active Programme

When planning our Ever-Active programme, GBA's Ageing Well team work closely with our insight officer to prioritise under-represented communities and disengaged groups. We collect data on all regions and wards in West Berkshire and Reading to establish exactly where we should deliver our sessions helping to ensure inclusion, diversity and equality is firmly embedded at the heart of our Ageing Well Programme . This data can contain information on the highest number of older adults who live alone, areas of high ethnic diverse communities and areas of low-income. In West Berkshire we work in collaboration with our partners West Berkshire Council, Berkshire Vision, Mencap and Age UK to deliver an inclusive wellness programme that contains a mix of activities such as seated exercise, walking groups, singing groups, cookery and more for all older adults to enjoy including people living with dementia, other long term conditions, sight loss and learning disabilities. Find out more about our Ever Active programme here.

Examples of our strong support for our partners and stakeholders include: