The nomination for “Business in the Community” sees Ashton Gate/Bristol Sport nominated alongside fellow finalists Andrews Property Group, Cubik Innovation, Opus Talent Solutions and Womble Bond Dickinson.
A central part of the redevelopment of Ashton Gate was to build a sustainable business to sit at the very heart of the South Bristol community. The hope was for it to provide a stimulus for economic regeneration. Two years in, with a workforce of more than a thousand local staff, that kick-start for the local economy has been marked.
The £45m rebuild was completed in 2016 and in that time Ashton Gate has:
- Become one of the largest employers in the city
- Increased its workforce from less than a hundred people to employing more than a thousand
- 80% of staff live within five miles of the stadium and 96% of those live within the BS3 postcode, an area which has traditionally lagged behind the city in attracting investment and employment
- 49% of staff are under-25 and for 10% of them it is their very first job and have access to career development and staff training
Ashton Gate is now a thriving work and entertaining space as well as one of the premier sports venues in the country. By becoming financially sustainable it is able to help support its community sports activities as well.
Bristol Sport was established to inspire sport in Bristol and beyond, with the development of Ashton Gate it is inspiring a whole new generation of youngsters – providing them with the opportunity to watch both men and women compete at the elite levels of their respective sports.
Through the Bristol Sport Foundation; Bristol City Community Trust; Bristol Bears Community Foundation and the Flyers Community, work is being undertaken throughout the city to help children fall in love with sport by providing them the opportunity to engage in sporting activity. It is also multi-generational in its approach – with the ambition to make the stadium one of the most dementia-friendly stadia in the country.
The second nomination is for “Marketing Campaign of the Year” and sees Ashton Gate’s media team shortlisted for their Bristol City gifs. The innovative and engaging social media campaign has been internationally and nationally recognised and has driven record numbers of impressions and coverage across its platforms. Shortlisted alongside Bristol Waste Company, Mr. B & Friends and Squarebird the teams will find out at the Business Leader Awards gala dinner held at the stadium on Thursday, September 27th.
