Big Issue's 100 Changemakers of 2026: Culture and sport

Being creative or active is good for the soul, but participation is often unequal. These organisations are all about fostering accessibility, so that everyone can shine.

Every year Big Issue compiles a list of 100 organisations and people who are bringing change to their community. It’s a chance to celebrate the agenda-setting activists and grassroots groundbreakers delivering change.

Head here to see the full Big Issue 100 Changemakers list

Marcellus Baz, Switch Up

Turning lived experience into lasting change, Baz is the founder and CEO of Switch Up, a Nottingham charity supporting young people through mentoring, physical activity, counselling, education and employment. After surviving a stabbing that ended his boxing career, Baz chose a different path and committed to helping others break cycles of violence. In the last year alone, Switch Up mentored 289 young people, supported 991 through physical activity, and helped young people into education, training and work. Baz also founded Uniting Nottz, bringing partners together to address youth violence and mental health.

Fully Focused Productions 

Blending professional production with youth opportunity, Fully Focused Productions creates award-winning drama, comedy and documentary while opening doors for young people in the screen industries. Youth-driven and led, the organisation involves young creatives throughout the process, from concept to filming and delivery, ensuring projects reflect lived experience and authentic representation. Each commission provides paid work, skills and experience for emerging talent, with more than 50 young creatives contributing across productions. Through training, workshops and the MYM Academy, Fully Focused helps young people build confidence and careers, while championing diversity on and off screen.

Access to Climb    

For many disabled people, the biggest barrier to climbing is not the wall itself but getting through the front door. Access to Climb was founded by paraclimber and wheelchair user Mary FitzMeilton to tackle the information gap that stops people taking part with confidence. The community platform shares accessibility details for more than 75 UK climbing walls, helping climbers plan ahead rather than risk arriving to find a venue unsuitable. In 2024 the project became a Community Interest Company, led by directors with lived experience of disability, working to make accessibility an expectation, not an afterthought.

Keep Active in Sunderland  

Rooted in Sunderland, Keep Active CIC uses sport and movement to help children, young people and adults build confidence, wellbeing and connection. The initiative began in 2011 supporting disadvantaged children during school holidays and has grown into a year-round programme of inclusive activities delivered across schools and community settings. From fitness sessions and dance-based classes to widely valued holiday clubs, Keep Active helps people develop routines and feel part of something positive. With added specialist expertise in youth work and mental health, the team has expanded its offer to meet changing local needs through activity-led support. Funding from Big Issue Invest helped Keep Active take on another member of staff, saving them money from relying on freelancers.

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Teapot Trust

Founded in 2010 by Laura and John Young, Teapot Trust supports children and families living with long-term health conditions through art therapy. Based in Musselburgh and working with a network of children’s hospitals across the UK, the charity helps fill gaps in care for young people who spend long periods in hospital. It provides one-to-one sessions for children struggling with diagnosis or treatment, and peer groups for those with shared experiences, offering a calming, creative distraction.

Off The Ropes   

A boxing gym inside the NHS is not what most people expect, but Off the Ropes is changing how mental health support can look. Founded after sessions began on an inpatient ward, the charity uses structured, non-contact boxing to help children and adults under mental health services improve physical health, focus and confidence. In 2025 it opened the first boxing gym operating on NHS land at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust’s Goldie Leigh site in south-east London. People receiving support from Oxleas can attend free as part of treatment, with affordable community sessions also available.

Heart n Soul  

Creative sessions in 1984 became the start of Heart n Soul, after musician Mark Williams began working with people with learning disabilities at The Mulberry Centre. Now artistic director and chief executive, Williams has helped build Heart n Soul into an award-winning arts charity that champions the talents of people with learning disabilities and autistic people. From touring original shows and making albums to performing at major festivals including Glastonbury, the organisation has created space for artists to lead, experiment and be celebrated. In 2017, Heart n Soul’s Big 30 archive was permanently added to the Wellcome Collection.

Beats Bus Records  

In Hull, Beats Bus Records is using music to open doors for young people who might otherwise be left behind. Led by Steve and his team, the project brings homegrown talent into grassroots youth settings, using hip-hop and spoken word to build confidence, creativity and connection. Their work promotes inclusion and gives young people a positive way to express themselves, helping them face adversity through lyrics instead of violence. As their nominator wrote, Steve’s positivity is “infectious”, and he has helped dozens of young people choose safer paths.

Anna Arthur

Nominated by actor Joanna Scanlan  

Founded in 2015, Croydonites is Arthur’s festival of theatre and performance, bringing contemporary work and local makers to venues across the London Borough of Croydon. The festival has staged seven live editions and one digital year, commissioned 28 local artists, and showcased 60 performances by Croydon theatre makers. It also runs CroydonWrites, a mentoring programme for aspiring writers launched in 2017. As her nominator Joanna Scanlan wrote, the 2025 festival across Croydon venues was “hugely successful”.

FC United of Manchester 

Founded in 2005, FC United of Manchester has built a reputation as a fan-owned football club with community at its heart. The club borrowed £175,000 from Big Issue Invest in 2019 to help pay off outstanding loans relating to community loan stock held by individuals that funded the stadium. Based in Moston, North Manchester, the club uses its stadium space year-round to support local wellbeing,
inclusion and connection through activities including a twice-weekly Youth Hub, women’s fitness classes, walks for residents with long-term health conditions and a Sporting Memories group for older people. As their nominator wrote, the club’s community programme “packs a huge punch” locally. In 2025, FC United won the Manchester Sports Awards Our Manchester Award for its community work.

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