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Notice of 2026 BWL Annual General Meeting

British Weight Lifting (BWL) has published its 2025/26 Annual Report and Audited Accounts ahead of the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will take place on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 1900hrs.

The Annual Report reflects on an important year of transition for BWL, marking the conclusion of the Stronger Together Strategic Plan, the first full year of the Los Angeles 2028 cycle and the launch of BWL’s new Find Your Strong Strategic Plan 2026 – 2030. The four-year review highlights strong progress across performance, competitions, governance and engagement, while identifying financial sustainability, membership retention, digital transformation and commercial development as priorities for the next strategic period.

British athletes continued to progress strongly within both performance programmes during 2025/26, with Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting further strengthening their World Class Programmes, athlete support structures and development pathways as preparations for Los Angeles 2028 continued.

Domestically, BWL delivered 170 competitions providing 6,261 competition opportunities, with participation comprising 52% women and 48% men. The year also included BWL’s first dedicated adaptive weightlifting competition, while School Games activity engaged more than 1,000 young people and equipment support was secured for 50 schools.

BWL finished the reporting period with 3,638 individual members and 149 affiliated clubs. While the wider club network has grown considerably over the Stronger Together period, membership and club retention remain key areas of focus under Find Your Strong.

The audited accounts report total income of £2,798,108 and total expenditure of £2,894,494, resulting in a deficit of £92,686. Reserves at 31 March 2026 stood at £266,280, remaining above the minimum level set by the Board. The Annual Report recognises the need to return to a sustainable operating position and further diversify unrestricted income.

BWL continued to maintain strong standards of governance and organisational compliance throughout 2025/26, including compliance with the Code for Sports Governance. The organisation also maintained its commitment to safeguarding and clean sport, with the Child Protection in Sport Unit awarding BWL its highest possible ‘Met’ rating and UK Anti-Doping compliance requirements maintained.

Looking ahead, BWL enters the Find Your Strong 2026–2030 strategic period supported by significant public investment and a renewed focus on sustainable growth.

Find Your Strong is built around three core priorities: Strong Performance, Strong Participation, and Strong People & Connections, with an emphasis on sustaining international success, growing participation and membership, strengthening clubs and pathways, improving customer experience and building a more resilient and diversified financial model.

BWL CEO Matthew Curtain said: ‘2025/26 was a mixed but important year for us. We faced financial challenges while continuing to invest in our systems, people and infrastructure to support future growth. We concluded Stronger Together with solid foundations across performance, governance, competitions and pathways, alongside a clear understanding of where further progress is needed. Find Your Strong now provides the direction for the next four years, focused on sustainable growth, increased participation and membership, and continued international success.’