Living Sport is a charity that helps people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to be more active. It works with local communities, partners and activity providers to design and run programmes that support physical activity, wellbeing and inclusion.
The charity delivers a wide range of projects for different groups of people. It collects data on who takes part, what changes for participants and how much programmes cost. This helps the organisation to understand what works well and how funding can have the greatest impact.
The problem
Living Sport wanted to make better use of its programme and finance data when making decisions. The team needed clear and easy-to-use visuals so they could look at data over time and compare different projects.
The charity’s data was spread across several Excel spreadsheets. This included participant data and wellbeing or activity measures, as well as finance data. Bringing all of this information together in one clear and accessible place was difficult.
The solution
Through Data First Aid, we matched Living Sport with volunteer analyst Dimitra Kalosynaki. Working closely with the team, Dimitra cleaned and organised the data and built Power BI reports that brought programme and finance data together. The project followed a test-and-learn approach, with each session building on the last. This allowed the work to develop gradually and respond to what the team needed.
The project ended with a practical training session. Dimitra also shared clear notes so staff could update the data and continue developing the dashboards on their own after the project finished.
Impact and benefits
The project helped Living Sport understand what was possible and what was not, when starting to use a new tool like Power BI. The mix of hands-on development and training proved invaluable, as it enabled staff to gain practical skills and insights relevant to their ongoing work.
Having a training session and clear guidance at the end of the project has put the team in a stronger position for the long term. Staff now feel more confident using the tool and are better able to update and adapt the dashboards as their needs change.
With cleaner data and an agreed way of working, Living Sport can now track trends, compare projects and share insights more clearly. This helps the charity communicate their impact to internal teams and external partners, supporting better decision-making going forward.