It is my privilege to continue Celia’s amazing work today. When I was first appointed as CEO I contacted Celia and Anita White to find out more about their story and the origins of Women in Sport. We went for lunch and it was a truly inspirational day. Celia talked to me about how she was inspired by Billie Jean King and the Women’s Sport Foundation in the US. About how she had wanted to put gender equality in sport on the agenda in the UK. She told me she wanted women to be empowered by playing sport – and that it was wrong so many women and girls were denied access and missed out. She was very clear that in her experience sport had been sexist – and as an outspoken feminist she felt a responsibility to change this. She urged me to keep in mind that the charity was set up to ensure women and girls get the same health, wellness and lifestyle benefits from sport that men and boys do. She encouraged me to be outspoken; to disrupt and to challenge. She also wanted everything the charity does to continue to be based on sound evidence.
I am proud that we continue her legacy and – as I told her when I met her – we are simply the custodians, for a short time, of this incredible organisation she created. We will look after it and build it and make it a success during our time with it, and then we will hand it over in good shape to our successors, whoever they may be – but her influence will always live within the charity.
Last year the Anita White Foundation launched Women and Sport: The Change Makers website to preserve the heritage of the Women and Sport Movement. The site is dedicated to Celia; documenting her life and work to make sure she continues to educate and inspire the next generation of women and sport leaders. I encourage you to learn more about Celia’s incredible story and the impact she has had on the sporting world. I will be forever indebted to Celia for all that she has achieved for women in sport.
If you are interested in helping Women in Sport to continue Celia’s legacy, you can make a donation.
Ruth Holdaway,
Chief Executive, Women in Sport