Largest-ever nationwide network of giant screens for Beijing Games and London Olympic Handover celebrations

Additional screens arranged to carry The Visa London 2012 Party around the UK, uniting the nation to celebrate London becoming the next Summer Olympic Games Host City.

London 2012 today marked four years to the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the capital by announcing the roll out of the UK’s largest-ever network of public giant screens.

Funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor (OLD) and London 2012 partners Lloyds TSB and BT, these include permanent structures in Cardiff, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Swansea, and Waltham Forest whose inhabitants can witness all the action from the Beijing Games and the moment that London becomes the Summer Olympic Games Host City – the ‘Handover’ - on August 24, as well as major occasions leading up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond. Planning permission is also pending for further screens in Bristol and Norwich. In a unique collaboration, the London 2012 Organising Committee will be working with the BBC to provide content for the screens.

In addition, they’ll be boosted around the country by over 20 other screens [see notes to editors]*, capturing action from Beijing and London’s Handover celebration bringing the total in operation on the day London becomes Host City to over 30. These sites will be operated by each of the communities involved, but on August 24 it is expected that they will become the hub of activity for communities centred around the Handover moment – be it sport, music or dance and will include a mass sing-a-long as part of the 'Sing The Nation' programme. Regional choirs will lead 15 minutes of collective singing in each of the locations with a choir at several big screen sites throughout the country, performing three songs: a simple choice to get everyone warmed up; a song of regional significance and a national song which is being arranged by National Youth Choirs.

On August 24, the network of screens, known as ‘Live Sites’, will show the Visa London 2012 Party live from the Mall, where 40,000 people will gather to watch the show. Tickets for the Mall party have already been allocated via a ballot, which was over subscribed. It will also be broadcast live to the rest of the nation on BBC One and BBC Radio 2 and will feature performances from multi-million-selling artists including The Feeling, Il Divo, Katherine Jenkins and McFly marking the moment when London becomes the official Host City of the Summer Olympic Games.

Featuring unique collaborations and specially-arranged performances, some with a sporting theme, the show from the Mall will sync with the Beijing 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony at which London Mayor Boris Johnson will be symbolically handed the Olympic flag, officially marking the start of London’s tenure as Summer Host city in front of a worldwide audience estimated to be around 1.5 billion.

London 2012 Chair Sebastian Coe said: 'At approximately 2.30pm UK time, on the afternoon of August 24 the Olympic Flag will pass from the Mayor of Beijing to the Mayor of London in the Olympic Stadium in Beijing and the eyes of the world will turn to us. Just as the nation celebrated London winning the bid, we invite the nation to celebrate the start of our four-year journey to 2012 – in whatever way they wish. This could be one of the Live Sites, a fantastic example of a project created because of London 2012, but one with a life well beyond the Games.'

Chair of OLD Janet Paraskeva said: 'The Olympic and Paralympic Games are one of the greatest of all international events and these new Lives Sites in the heart of some of our major cities will create a focal point for communities to come together and enjoy the events. We are pleased that National Lottery funding will help extend the network of Lives Sites in time for the handover from London to Beijing. As well as providing a way for the whole of the UK to join in with London 2012, Lottery money is also creating a community resource in cities with state-of-the-art technology around which people can gather to celebrate a wide range of events.'

Colin Grannell, Executive Vice-President, Partnership Marketing at Visa Europe, said: 'As a global supporter of the Olympic Games for more than two decades we at Visa are proud to sponsor an historic and memorable event for people to celebrate the return of the Games to London after sixty years.'

Suzi Williams, BT Group Marketing Director, says: 'BT is a company with communication at its heart. Through our support of the Live Sites we're delighted that communities across the UK will be able to experience this momentous event as we all start looking forward to 2012.'

Sally Hancock, London 2012 Partnership Director, Lloyds TSB said 'As the first national partner of London 2012 we are proud to be bringing the Live Site experience to the communities we serve, showcasing the excitement and action that we all expect from the Games.'

McFly said: 'Witnessing the Games come to London and playing not only in the Mall but to the country as a whole is a once in a lifetime opportunity.'

The Feeling said: 'The atmosphere across the whole country is going to be electric; we are really looking forward to the Olympic Games coming to town.'

Il Divo said: 'We are delighted to be part of such a historic event; performing in the shadow of Buckingham Palace in front of an audience of millions. It's an honour to be associated with the Games in such austere surroundings.'

Further announcements of acts will be made in due course. These Games will be the first ever 24/7 Olympics. BBC Television will broadcast more than 2,750 hours of coverage, giving viewers access to live coverage, the latest news updates regardless of the time of day and where they are, through the BBC's extensive TV, radio, online, mobile and BBC iPlayer services.

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For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog.

Notes to Editors:

The Live Site screens will represent a major legacy from London 2012 with the fixed locations plan to operate not just for the four years up to 2012, but for many years afterwards. They will carry a range of local information, news, cultural, sporting, education and community events and content. Moving forward, the screens will also have interactive capabilities which will enable cities to link to each other.

Screen breakdown

*There will be eight permanent screens funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, erected in Cardiff, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Swansea and Waltham Forest. Subject to planning permission, there will also be screens in Bristol and Norwich. These eight screens are a unique collaboration between the London 2012 Organising Committee, its partners in the project the Olympic Lottery Distributor, Lloyds TSB, BT, the cities and the BBC.

LOCOG is in discussion with CABE and English Heritage to ensure that these screens are well designed and will have a positive effect on the towns and cities hosting them.

Three screens will be erected for the 2008 Games in Canary Wharf (London), Leicester and Trafalgar Square.

Further screens will also be operating for the handover day in Belfast, Glasgow, Herne Bay, Notting Hill and Weymouth, funded by LOCOG and in Hackney, Greenwich, Coventry, Kettering, Southend-on-Sea and Great Yarmouth and other areas funded by local authorities and organisations.

Screens from the BBC-driven Public Space Broadcasting Network will be used in Birmingham, Bradford, Derby, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Rotherham and Swindon during the Games and for Handover.

Sing the Nation

A festival to unite the UK in song this August: all kinds of people singing all kinds of music in all kinds of places. There will be singing in museums, libraries, parks abbeys and city centres. All events are participatory. Museum events range from Songs of London at the Museum of London to Sing Yorkshire in Rotherham.

Sing the Nation culminates on August 24th’Olympic Handover ceremonies when regions across the UK will hold mass city sings led by community choirs. From Glasgow to Cardiff, people across the UK will lift their voices. The result is expected to be the UK’s biggest singalong.

Each city will sing one regional song which connects to that location: Danny Boy in Ulster…I do like to be beside the seaside in Blackpool; Derby Ram in Derby…. Delila in Swansea… Maybe it’s Because I’m a Londoner in Walthamstow and Greenwich.

All Cities will sing one national song at the same time. (This has been arranged by Mike Brewer OBE).

Cities taking part in the City sings include: Middlesbrough; Glasgow; Portsmouth; Manchester; Norwich; Hull; Bradford; Coventry; Derby; Birmingham; Swansea; London; Leicester; Blackpool

Sing the Nation is delivered by Sing London, a not for profit company who delivered Sing London in 2007. Sing the Nation is supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, LOCOG; Heritage Lottery Fund.