New weekend of culture to inspire the South West in run up to the Games

Count Me In weekend will feature events including 50 two-hour concerts at bandstands across the South West

Events range from ‘Dinosaurs not allowed’ – a new twist on English Dance in Weymouth – to ‘Bandstand Marathon’ – over 50 separate two-hour concerts at bandstands across the region.

Many of the events have been awarded the London 2012 ‘Inspire mark’, recognising non-commercial projects inspired by the Games.

The weekend will run every year between now and 2012 and beyond, creating an annual major arts and cultural offering for local people and tourists alike.

Richard Crowe, London 2012 Creative Programmer and ‘Count Me In’ creator said: ‘Count Me In is using the power of the London 2012 Games to provide new opportunities and develop a lasting legacy of benefit for the region. It enables people to not only celebrate the countdown to the Games but also to develop a high profile, nationally significant, cultural weekend across the South West.

‘Being granted the prestigious Inspire Mark, provided by London 2012 for excellence recognises the quality of the events we're staging and provides a tremendous platform from which we can develop over the next couple of years and beyond.’

Find out more about 'Count Me In' Weekend on the Arts Council England website

Read the full media release