Inspire is creating opportunities for people across the East Midlands to engage with and experience the Games. There are more than 260 projects across our six Inspire themes happening in the East Midlands.
Inspire people
Chantelle Richards, The Movement
The Movement Inspire project runs 17 dance and exercise programmes across the city of Derby with over 400 young people participating. The project has been highly commended by the Sports Industry Awards, highly recognised by Beyond Sports as an innovative project and won the Football League Award 2011 for best sports participation programme.
Can you describe the difference between your life before and after being involved in this project?
I was in year 11 and did not know what I wanted to do when I left school. Although I enjoyed dance, I did not do much with it, just messed around with my friends and brother at home. After joining The Movement I realised I was good at dancing and decided my career choice would be around dance.
Tell us, in your own words, what it means to you to be part of an Inspire Project?
It’s great, it makes me feel like I am part of a bigger programme and that I am one small part of a massive event! I would love to dance at the Opening Ceremony.
Have you inspired other people to take part in this project and/or become a mentor to others?
Yes I am a volunteer at a street dance programme being delivered by one of The Movement dance workers. I am also the face of the programme’s new campaign to encourage young people to join The Movement. We call it ‘Exercise Just Got Cool’!
Inspire projects
The Great Shakespearean Workout
Project organiser: 1623 Theatre Company
Theme: Culture
The Great Shakespearean Workout is an exciting new way of exploring Troilus and Cressida; Shakespeare’s only play to feature events and figures from the mythology of ancient Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The beat of Shakespeare's poetry provides the pulse for fun aerobic-based exercise while his amazing language, vibrant characters and fascinating stories are explored.
The Great Shakespearean Workout combines poetry and poetic rhythms with the promotion of physical activity. Each workout will end with an exploration of Shakespeare’s language and characters helping engagement with the text. The unique nature of the project encourages participants, who may not normally engage in physical activity, to do so in a quirky and fun way.
Large-scale performances will animate large public spaces; a celebratory event took place in 2011 on Shakespeare’s birthday at the London Road Community Hospital, and also at the Royal Derby Hospital. The workout also toured a number of arts festivals including Glastonbury throughout the summer before moving into schools and colleges in the autumn term.
Squarelight
Project organiser: Northampton Borough Council
Theme: Sustainability
Inspired by the urban regeneration of East London and the development of the Olympic Park, Squarelight is a major £400,000 regeneration project for Northampton that will deliver an innovative LED lighting, projection and animation scheme within Northampton’s historic Market Square. The project aims to raise the profile of both the town and county as a visitor destination, and to leave a sustainable positive legacy for the town.
Squarelight uses the latest in public energy efficient LED lighting technology, maximising energy savings and halving the carbon footprint of existing public lighting with savings of 17.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Squarelight offers a unique 365-day colour lighting programme that will project images and animations from local artists (sourced through Arts Council England and Northamptonshire based arts organisations) onto the historical buildings in the market square. These images will use the example of inspiration of London 2012’s regeneration to explore the themes, challenges and perceptions around environmental sustainability.
Contact the Inspire Programmer in the East Midlands
