Our vision for the South West is ambitious and far-reaching, extending way beyond the London 2012 Games themselves. With community at our heart, we are focused on capturing the inspiration and excitement of the Games to change lives and leave a lasting legacy.
Planning and delivery
As host to Olympic and Paralympic events and with the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay starting in our region, we have a unique opportunity to put the South West on the map.
Since 2006 a strong, active partnership of regional organisations has been working together to ensure a lasting legacy for South West England. This partnership, ‘Team South West’, is led by the South West England Board for the 2012 Games, chaired by David Fursdon, which provides the link between LOCOG and South West England.
There is a small, committed team that reports direct to the Board and provides the day-to-day link to LOCOG and the Team South West partnership, led by the London 2012 Nations and Regions Coordinator for the South West, Deborah Bertram.
Team South West activities are based on an operations plan that aligns regional objectives to the London 2012 national objectives. Our plan has targets – many of which were met by the summer of 2011 – so we set ourselves more ambitious targets and are well on course to meet them.
Olympic Torch Relay
South West England will host eight overnight Olympic Torch Relay celebration events, with the Relay starting its journey in our region – at Land’s End on Friday 19 May.
Cultural Olympiad
The four-year Cultural Olympiad will culminate with the London 2012 Festival over the summer, with lots of exciting events and activities happening across the whole region.
Cultural Olympiad events have been ongoing since 2008 and more than a million people in the South West have already been involved with events, performances, exhibitions and festivals.
An amazing programme is planned for Weymouth and Portland which will include a three-day epic outdoor performance called Battle for the Winds, with contributions from every county in the region.
Pre-Games Training Camps
Twenty-eight international teams have signed up to train in the South West before the London 2012 Games.
Inspire
When applications closed in December, 2011, the coveted London 2012 Inspire mark had been awarded to a total of 228 projects in South West England – the third highest total in the UK – recognising innovative projects that demonstrate excellence, personal best and participation.
Get Set
More than 1,850 schools and colleges in the region signed up to Get Set, the official London 2012 education programme. Of these, more than 1,250 have taken the extra step to join the Get Set network, gaining access to exciting opportunities through participation programmes inspired by the Games.
Economic legacy
More than 9,000 of the region’s businesses have registered on CompeteFor, the web portal which informs businesses of national London 2012 procurement opportunities. As a result more than 100 of our businesses have secured direct contracts related to the Games, and many more have been engaged as sub-contractors to the main suppliers.
Contact information
To find out more about what is happening in South West England, visit www.teamsouthwest.co.uk, sign up to the newsletter by emailing info@teamsouthwest.co.uk or follow on Twitter @TeamSW2012Games
