The Inspire projects in the East of England will rise to the challenge of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games by creating a sustainable legacy that extends far beyond the sporting landscape. There are more than 225 projects across our six Inspire themes happening in the East of England.
Insire people
Tracie Bere, Good School Food Gold Medal Challenge
This Inspire project encourages school pupils to learn about the diet that Olympic and Paralympic champions need and enjoy. The project has a specific focus on the athletes and past champions of the Hertfordshire area, and pupils are inspired to pay tribute to past gold medal winners from their area. As part of the challenge, every child who eats a school lunch during the two-week period is entered into a draw to win games-inspired prizes.
What did you set out to accomplish with your Inspire project?
To be able to capture the imagination and excitement of children by bringing together sport, culture and cuisine from around the world under the glorious umbrella of London 2012. To produce a promotion that covers a host of cross-curricular spectrums, that schools can also tap into with additional activities.
How was your project inspired by the Games and how is this influence evident in the project?
The entire promotional menu was inspired by past Olympic gold medallists and the country that they competed for when winning. The promotion also incorporates the sports that the athletes competed in.
What do you feel has been your greatest achievement?
Executing a promotion that encompasses both the importance of good healthy food and sport. We’ve engaged more than 90,000 pupils across the county.
Inspire projects
Suffolk lap of honour
Project organiser: Suffolk Artlink
Theme: Culture
Lap of Honour is a four-year programme created as a direct response to the successful bid for the London 2012 Games.
This project will create a multimedia archive to preserve the heritage of both competitors and supporters in Suffolk who have taken part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Involving and training volunteers from the Suffolk community means the stories of these remarkable people and their decades of involvement in the Games will be recorded so that future generations of Suffolk competitors, officials and trainers will be able to learn from them.
Lap of Honour aims to provide wide access to these stories. As well as a website, filmed interviews and audio recordings will be available through podcasts, local BBC radio and television broadcasts, education packages, and a county wide touring exhibition. The exhibition and training will take place in public places in Suffolk including rural museums, record offices, sport centres, libraries, schools, colleges and University Campus Suffolk.
Bedford Meets Kenyan Athletes
Project organiser: Bedford Borough Council
Theme: Education
Bedford Meets Kenyan Athletes provided opportunities for the Bedford community (predominantly young people via schools) to meet Kenyan athletes that will be training near by at Games time. The project provides a forum to share inspirational stories to increase the profile of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and participation in sport.
Kenyan guests-of-honour visited Bedford in June 2010, including the Athletics Kenya Chairman and Secretary, Paul Tergat (former marathon world-record holder and multi gold medallist in the world cross-country championships), Catherine Ndereba (former world marathon record holder and twice world marathon championship gold medallist) and Sammy Wanjiru (reigning Olympic marathon and London marathon champion).
