Tuesday 3 March saw the annual Nations and Regions East Summit at BT’s Adastral Park in Ipswich, which was awarded the first London 2012 Inspire Mark for a business event.

There was a fantastic turn out from stakeholders from across the region. Jonathan Edwards gave a national update on the London 2012 Games and the Regional Minister, Barbara Follet, spoke about the opportunity the Games presents to the East of England, as well as launching the BT Children’s Technology Challenge. The challenge will encourage children to think about spectator accessibility at major sporting events and is open to children at schools across the region.

Jonathan with participants at the event:

 
Jonathan, Barbara and Paralympian Ade Adepitan all got the chance to see first hand a children’s event organised by BT and children from across the region were excited to have their photos taken with them, as well as explaining what the Games meant to them. Ade later presented at the NRE Summit, which was truly inspirational and highlighted the power of determination, team work and self-belief.


 
The day also saw thought-provoking presentations on a whole series of legacy areas including culture, health and volunteering plus two outstanding performances from Dance Offensive and Fit to Dance.



The day was about team effort, collaborative working, launching a refreshed regional strategy, showcasing opportunities and best practice but overall inspiring more people to get involved.

Here are some other participants thoughts:

'I was inspired by the amount that has been achieved since the last summit.  The landscape has noticeably moved from strategy to delivery and there are now a growing number of inspiring projects in the East of England that have been inspired by the Games.' -Adam Baker, Suffolk Project Manager for the 2012 Games

'It was great to see some new faces in the audience and the presentation from Professor Mike Weed, on developing a sport and health legacy, reminded me that we mustn't be complacent - benefits won't just happen, we need to work hard for them!' - Katie Huane, Regional Project Manager for the 2012 Games

'It was great to meet so many people who I had not seen for a time, sense the enthusiasm and to have the opportunity to talk about what we were doing and how we could work together in the future.' - John Fuller, Herts Manager for the 2012 Games