Fast Track to Impact: How a Retail Display Became a Lifeline for Charities in Just 24 Hours

As Team GB competed at the Tokyo Olympics, a different kind of showcase was unfolding back in London. At the flagship Adidas store on Oxford Street, a striking retail installation celebrated the athletes' achievements, drawing in crowds of fans inspired by the summer’s sporting spirit.

The creative display, designed by Broadwick Studio and produced by Firecracker Works, featured everything from staging and winner podiums to art pieces, plinths, and lighting installations. But like many short-term retail activations, it came with a familiar dilemma: what to do with all the used materials once the promotion ended?

Firecracker Works had a clear ambition. They wanted to ensure the display didn’t end up as waste, but the turnaround time was tight. With a derig planned overnight, there was a narrow window to get everything removed, repurposed, and into the hands of those who could benefit most.

Event Cycle was brought in early to plan ahead. With a redistribution strategy mapped out in advance, the moment the display came down, it went straight into community use. By the next day, everything had found a new home.

Retail display units and TV stands were delivered to the Bassuah Legacy Foundation, a charity supporting single parents and their families through health, education, employment, and empowerment programmes. The pieces transformed their youth space, helping them install foldable wall-mounted tables and adapt the room for multiple uses, from arts and crafts to IT training and community meetings.

"We have been able to upgrade our youth space. It has now been transformed into a dynamic space by recycling the retail units we got from Event Cycle to install foldable wall-mounted tables. We can now utilise the room for multiple purposes with ease including our Kids Arts & Crafts, Adult IT training for our Employment Programme as well as meetings and others. A very special thank you to Event Cycle for their work and a very smooth process."

Christina Konadu, CEO & Founder, Bassuah Legacy Foundation

The remaining display items, including the podiums, plinths, and staging, were allocated to The Mintridge Foundation, a charity that promotes physical education and positive mental health for children and young people. With the support of Olympic and Paralympic ambassadors, Mintridge hosts mentoring programmes, coaching clinics, and events across the UK. The new items enhanced their setup, giving them the infrastructure to run more professional and inspiring sessions. At one recent event, England netballer Pamela Cookey used one of the repurposed podiums to introduce netball to a school in St Helens.

“It is amazing to have the Team GB experience go full circle with such a close connection to our sports charity and the Ambassadors that were out in Tokyo inspiring a nation! Thank you to everyone involved and we can’t wait to be able to put everything to good use in its new life!”

Alex Wallace, Managing Director, The Mintridge Foundation 

For charities like Bassuah and Mintridge, buying these kinds of assets would be out of reach. But with a little coordination and advance planning, what might have been destined for disposal instead became a valuable addition to their programmes, empowering them to do more for the communities they serve.

By teaming up with Event Cycle, Firecracker Works ensured that all but a single piece of foamex avoided landfill. This project showed that when reuse is built into the plan from the beginning, the impact can be both immediate and long-lasting.

What started as a temporary retail installation became a permanent source of value for two frontline charities. And all it took was 24 hours, a commitment to purpose, and a different way of thinking about what happens next.

Send your used event items to local charities, not landfill with Event Cycle