The Cumbria 2012 Legacy-Cumbria Rising to the Challenge!
29th July 2008
As we prepare for the launch of Beijing 2008, Cumbria is thinking further ahead, to the London 2012 Games that are only 4 years away. To maximise the opportunities from the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic games, and to leave a lasting legacy beyond, Cumbrian agencies have organised themselves into a proactive ‘Cumbria 2012’ action group.
Local Government, Higher Education, Learning and Skills, The University of Cumbria, Cumbria Tourism, Culture, Economy, The Lake District National Park Authority, and sport through the Cumbria Sport Partnership, are represented on the group. An action plan is being developed for each theme that the group members represent.
Eddie Edge, Director of Cumbria Sport Partnership explains: ‘‘In the run up to London 2012, Cumbria Sport Partnership will lead on ensuring that a lasting legacy of high quality sports clubs, coaches and volunteers are in place to offer more opportunities, particularly for young people, to take up sport after watching the games. The work will be enhanced by establishing pathways from school sport into community sport and eventually National Governing Body of Sport programmes so that sporting talent can be recognised from an early age. As a lasting legacy of London 2012, we also aim to develop facilities and the sports workforce in our region”.
Other potential areas that the group are looking into are developing bids to enable the local business sector to win contracts to supply services and products to the Olympic Village and also to encourage tourism. Cumbria has huge potential to attract visitors from the many people coming to Great Britain to watch the games from overseas countries. The nature and geography of Cumbria also makes the area a potential destination for some of the smaller Commonwealth Countries to establish themselves in preparation and training camps in the run up to 2012, before entering into the Olympic Village. Three sites in Cumbria are highlighted as training camps. They are The Sheepmount in Carlisle, Hoops Basketball Centre in Barrow and Kendal Judo Club. The Cumbria 2012 group are working closely with the North West Development Agency and the North West 2012 Group to develop these areas.
A North West delegation will be at the Beijing Games promoting Cumbria alongside Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. A special film has been made about Cumbria as part of a North West promotional package. The film, along with the official training camps directory for London 2012, will be circulated to all of the competing Olympic countries to promote our region.
In the meantime the Cumbria 2012 group will be exploring every opportunity over the next 4 years to play a vital role for the area to ensure that the benefits of the games are maximised to full potential.
Contact Eddie Edge on 01228 226096 for more information.