So it's no surprise that we had an excellent turnout for our event, with high-calibre politicians from both Houses snagging an invitation to meet 2012 (people from the North-West 2012 team, LOCOG and the ODA), to take questions on all of our different 2012 responsibilities. The informality of the events tends to attract people outside of the 'usual suspects' we see frequently, so this time we had new Ministers, Peers, and MPs from the three main political parties in the region mingling with Jonathan Edwards (as our athlete ambassador, and deputy chair of the Nations and Regions) to find out what 2012 will mean in each of their constituencies. Towns and villages across the region felt the impact of the Commonwealth Games, and there's clearly a strong desire to work out how London 2012 will compare - while a much larger event, it's obviously taking place much further away. Pre-Games Training Camps and opportunities for businesses were the topics most discussed, although the Cultural Olympiad, the Paralympic Games and the involvement of schools and young people were not far behind.
The moment that stuck out for me last night most was that we had two Olympians in the room, which doesn't often happen. Jonathan Edwards was joined by Lord Glentoran, the Conservative Lords Spokesman on 2012 - himself a Gold-Medallist from the 1964 Winter Olympic Games at Innsbruck. He was in the two-man Bobsleigh, and - this is the particularly cool bit - he has a curve at the St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun named after him and his 'driver'.
Wow! How can the other Northern Regions match that for a bit of Olympic star quality? The challenge is clearly there, the gauntlet vigourously thrown down. As the Parliamentary term continues we'll find out in November and December when the events take place for the North-East and Yorkshire & the Humber. How can they beat a Curve at St Mortiz?
