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The 2020 / 21 SWLEP ANNUAL REPORT
Our annual report has now been published and is available for download .
Impressive and resilient role-models
It has been yet another busy year developing our economy through the hardest of economic conditions . We have supported the resilient communities in Swindon and Wiltshire through the pandemic , continued to empower businesses through our Growing Places Infrastructure Fund , completed more major infrastructure projects and seen some transformational changes at the Growth Hub . Find out more about the last year and what ' s in store for the future here , in Swindon and Wiltshire .
To download the Annual Report visit the SWLEP website homepage : www . swlep . co . uk
Who can forget the fearless bronzemedal winning performances at the Tokyo Olympics of skateboarder Sky Brown , who had just turned 13 and gymnasts Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova , both 16 . A year beforehand , Sky Brown had a terrible fall which left her unconscious and suffering from many bone breaks , fractures in her skull and lacerations to her heart and lungs . She was quoted in as saying “ It was a really tough time , but I just wanted to get back . I felt stronger after that . I actually wanted to do more things after that .”
The Gadirova twins have not had to come back from such an event , but they are bucking a trend . Athletes have started to peak later . The average age for a female gymnast at Tokyo was almost 22 .
In the Euro 2020 football championship , England fielded the second youngest squad , with an average age of 25 . Two teenagers were in the squad including Bukayo Saka , who had the daunting task of needing to score from the penalty spot to keep England ’ s chances alive in the final of the competition . He missed and the world-wide audience could see the effect it had on him . He said after a period away from media attention , “ I felt like I had let England down …. but I won ’ t let this negativity break me . Love always wins .” Unfortunately , he knew from the moment he missed he would suffer racist abuse . In fact , researchers following social media platforms during the game show that racist attacks on black English players were prevalent in the lead up to the match , increased during the game and reached manic proportions following the missed penalties of Saka and his fellow black players , Sancho and Rashford . Despite
these awful personal attacks , Bukayo Saka is playing for his team in the Premier League and showing he will not be beaten down .
And now we come to Emma Raducano and her US Open Tennis Final opponent , Laylah Fernandez . They played the first all-teenage US Open Women ’ s ’ Singles final since 1999 . They did not let the occasion overwhelm them . They played with power , amazing technique and mental strength . After the game , won in style by Emma Raducano , they gave impressive speeches showing mature awareness of their circumstances . The tennis world rightly recognises them as future world superstars .
All these people are tremendous athletes who are leading the handover of power from one generation to another . They are doing so because they are part of a current generation of talented , mentally strong individuals who will pick up from the older generations and lead us on . They are not planning succession , but it will happen . People a little older than our athletic superstars are working in our businesses . They bring , talent , new ideas and are now facing challenges to demonstrate their potential . We need to recognise them and give them scope so we can find the business equivalent of Emma Raducano .
Chief Executive Officer E : paddy . bradley @ swlep . co . uk
T : 0771 841951
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2021 9