East of England

Our vision

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 and includes:

• economic development and regeneration;
• employment;
• skills;
• tourism; and
• culture.

How will we rise to the challenge?

To achieve our vision, we have set the following targets for the East of England:

• Tourism - raising our profile
  We will showcase the East of England using the 2012 Games events we are hosting - Canoe Slalom at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Mountain Biking at Weald Country Park, Brentwood, Essex - as well as events linked to the Cultural Olympiad.
  
  We are aiming to increase the number of international and business visitors to the region by 3 per cent each year between 2009 and 2015.
• Developing business
  Our target is for businesses in the East of England to win between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the procurement and business opportunities (both pre-Games and post-Games contracts). Construction should be a major beneficiary.
  
  We will also help business to seize on opportunities for inward investment and skills development.
• Improving skills
  We will use the Games as a catalyst to provide training for key sectors, including construction, logistics, creative industries, culture, languages, sport and leisure, and security. We also want to encourage people to learn new skills and get involved at every level.
• Sport – increasing participation and stimulating investment
  We want to get more people involved in sport. To encourage this, we’re aiming to improve the provision of sports facilities and increase opportunities to play sport across the region. We also want to host major sports events in the East of England.
• Involving people in cultural events
  We want to use the 2012 Games and the Cultural Olympiad as a catalyst for greater involvement in cultural activities across the region. We want to use cultural assets to help raise the East of England’s profile and support tourism.
• Stimulating improvements in infrastructure
  Our aim is to encourage investment in infrastructure - for example, in better hotel accommodation needed to expand tourism. We will also support proposals for improving and developing sports facilities for training and pre-Games training camps. In addition, we will promote efficient use of the existing transport infrastructure.
• Volunteering – maximising opportunities for participation and social inclusion
  We will use the focus on participation and volunteering in the 2012 Games to encourage people to get involved - especially disadvantaged groups. We want a new spirit of volunteering that will last long after the Games and will help people find work.

Planning and delivery – making it happen

The Nations and Regions East partnership is working to achieve this vision for the East of England.

Our partnership brings together representatives from the key regional organisations: the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), Sport England, Living East, Go East, East of England Regional Assembly, East of England Tourism, East of England Skills and Competitiveness Partnership (EESCP) and East of England Business Group.

Nations and Regions East also includes geographical representation from the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and the four unitary authorities of Luton, Peterborough, Southend and Thurrock.

Find out more about East of England plans from the regional business plan. 

Download the organisational structure in the East of England (PDF, 14kB).

To keep up to date with progress and opportunities in the East of England you can register at www.eeda.org.uk/form