United By 2022, the legacy charity of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, is sharing insights from its impact exhibit, which invited local people to share their wishes for the West Midlands.

United By 2022 hosted ‘The Next Chapter’, an interactive experience which brought the community legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to life, at Birmingham New Street station earlier this year.

Sharing stories from volunteers, young people and local communities from across the West Midlands, the event told a unique tale of people coming together to ensure the Games’ spirit of collaboration, pride and inspiration lives on.

The four-day event engaged over 10,000 local people, with the support of United By 2022’s dedicated team of volunteers who donated over 190 hours to help make it a success. 

As part of the exhibit’s fairytale narrative, the general public was asked to share their hopes for the West Midlands at the ‘Wishing Well’, beneath the iconic Ozzy the Bull.

Now, United By 2022 is sharing a fascinating snapshot of the 238 wishes shared, which all conveyed an overwhelming sense of civic pride and a desire to unite with others across the region. Seven key themes emerged, including:

• Community spirit: the most common theme was a desire for more community events, festivals, and opportunities to bring people together.
• Support for young people: many wishes focused on the region’s youth - calling for better access to education, jobs, and extracurricular activities.
• Mental health: there was a significant emphasis on improving mental health services.
• Recreation and sport: people want more accessible sports facilities, organised teams, and recreational activities - especially for children and teens.
• Economic concerns: jobs, career support, and economic development were frequently mentioned, especially in relation to young adults and post-university transitions.
• Public services: wishes included better transport, cleaner streets, reopened libraries and improved public amenities.
• Environmental: green spaces, pollution reduction, and nature-friendly initiatives were also valued by members of the public.

Nicola Turner MBE, CEO of United By 2022, said: “We were delighted to welcome more than 10,000 local people to ‘The Next Chapter’, and connect the public to the transformative power of the Games.

“As part of this, it was wonderful to collate people’s wishes, hopes and aspirations for the region - which revealed a deep sense of local pride, and a desire for even greater connection, community spirit and positive impact.

“As well as allowing visitors to revisit and reflect on the impact of the Games, this was an important opportunity to look ahead and share our ambitions for the future.

“It’s fascinating to see how the ground-breaking Games continues to inspire us, and encourages us all to strive to do more - for communities and individuals in our region and beyond.”

As a charity, United By 2022 is playing a vital role in helping some of the region’s wishes come true.

With over 2,000 members, its dedicated Volunteers Collective continues to bring communities together by supporting a variety of events across the region, including major sporting championships, community-led events, and large-scale arts and culture festivals. 

In addition, the charity’s youth volunteering schemes - Ideas Made Real and Gen22 - are actively investing in hard-to-reach communities, helping to unlock opportunities for young people and those facing barriers to engagement.

Since 2022, almost 2,000 young people from across the region have taken part in the two initiatives, helping to deliver positive social impact.

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