South East

Our vision

To create a positive legacy for the South East across skills, business, tourism, sport, culture, volunteering, social inclusion, transport and the environment.

Achieving our vision

Our 2012 strategy focuses on three key areas to achieve our vision:

To build on the South East’s strengths to help deliver the Games

• Going for green – We will use the region’s strengths in environmental technologies and improve public transport to help the commitment to a low carbon Games and to create an environmentally friendly, sustainable legacy.
• Maximising the potential of the Paralympic Games – Celebrating the region’s Paralympic heritage, we will use the Games to help change the way people think and act towards disabled people. This will help create opportunities for disabled people in every aspect of their lives.
• Supporting business – We will make sure the region’s businesses can take full advantage of the commercial opportunities presented by the Games. We will help people train and learn business skills to give them better chances of finding a job.

To showcase the South East region

• Festival region – We plan to capitalise on the fact that our region hosts over 550 festivals, not only to play an active part in the Cultural Olympiad, but also to showcase the cultural offer in towns and cities across the South East.
• Region of ideas – We plan to harness the South East’s potential as an innovative region, exploiting the potential of the Games to improve broadband connectivity and to promote the region as the place for inward investment and new business growth.
• Gateway region – We want to improve the sense of welcome at key gateways and entry points, enhance regional infrastructure and quality of the public realm as well as to promote the South East as a world-class region for visitors and residents alike.

To create a sustainable legacy

• Olympic and Paralympic values – We aim to use the Olympic and Paralympic values to inspire people towards greater sports participation and community engagement, tackle social exclusion and build strong communities.
• Volunteering legacy – We aim to create a valued and cohesive voluntary sector, as well as use volunteering as a springboard into further learning or employment.
• Inspiring young people – We want to harness the power of the Games to inspire skills development in young people and offer them an opportunity to link up with young people from competitor countries.
• Healthy and active communities – We want to capitalise on the inspiration of the Games to increase sports participation across all ages and abilities, create a healthier region and increase productivity among the working population.
• Celebrating diversity – We aim to harness the region’s cultural diversity and ethnic populations to develop global links and understanding, particularly encouraging links between young people.

Planning and delivery - making it happen

South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Sport England South East are working together to maximise the benefits of the 2012 Games before, during and for many years after 2012.

We have a Regional Coordinating Group to bring together the work in the South East, chaired by Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of SEEDA. The group focuses on:

• maximising the benefits, looking to and beyond 2012;
• involving all the region; and
• undertaking a two-way information channel to and from the London 2012 Organising Committee.

Download a PDF of the London 2012 planning structure in the South East (PDF, 15kB)