05 Nov 2008
Londoners have been showing their support for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by visiting the Get Set London Roadshow as it toured the Capital over the summer.
Following a successful spring tour which saw the Get Set London Roadshow visit 30 locations all over Greater London it has travelled far and wide across the Capital, bringing the 2012 spirit to some of London’s diverse summer festivals and free events.
From the Rise Festival in Finsbury Park in July to the Olympic Handover celebrations on The Mall in August, the Roadshow has been giving Londoners the chance to find out what benefits the London 2012 Games will offer them and their communities. Visitors have also been able to celebrate the launch of the Cultural Olympiad by getting involved in free music and dance workshops, as well as trying out new sports and meeting Team GB athletes.
Get Set London facts and figures - The Get Set London Roadshow has visited 12 events over the summer between June and October 2008
- 40,241 people have visited Get Set London Roadshow
- 2,650 had their free Sporting Moments photo taken
- 23 athletes showed their support, from Team GB’s Mark Foster to 2012 fencing hopeful Leah King
- 21 different London sport and culture groups gave free workshops
Organised by London 2012, The Mayor of London and the London Development Agency, the Get Set London Roadshow forms part of a major community outreach programme to help Londoners learn more about the benefits that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will offer. The Get Set London Roadshow has already proven a big draw for Londoners with more than 30,000 people joining in when the Roadshow visited London boroughs between January and April 2008.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee said, “London’s tenure as the host city of the next Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games has started. Over the next four years, there will be a whole host of ways for every Londoner to be part of 2012, and to make the most of the opportunities London 2012 offers. Through the Get Set London Roadshow, we are able to show that from now until the summer Games of 2012 and beyond this will be ‘Everyone’s Games’.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said, “The Games offer many opportunities to Londoners to get involved, to learn new skills and, for some, to find new jobs. It’s been great to see how many people have turned out to visit the Roadshow as it passed through their part of town to see how they could get involved in the 2012 Games. It's the first step for many people in making the most of the employment, training and volunteering opportunities on offer, or just getting more involved in sport."
Tom Russell, Group Director for Olympic Legacy at London Development Agency, said: “Through the Get Set London Roadshow we have been showing Londoners how they can grasp the huge employment and sporting opportunities the Games offer. They have been learning the latest information about jobs and business contracts, as well as being able to find out about local sports clubs.
– Ends – Notes to Editors The Get Set London Roadshow has visited:
- Lee Valley Festival
- Respect Festival
- Islam Expo
- Lewisham People’s Day
- Rise Festival
- London Mela
- The Mix
- Olympic Handover Celebrations
- Olympic Park Open House
- South London Cultural Festival
- West London Cultural Festival
- BigFest
The Get Set London Roadshow worked with the following groups and athletes:
Sporting/Cultural Groups
- London Youth Rowing
- Soca Dance
- Frittiti Drummers
- Dance Vibes
- London Tigers Football
- West London Rowing Club
- Westside Basketball
- Energie Fitness Club
- Ebony Steel Band
- 5th Element Beatboxing
- Ruff Diamonds
- Shotokan Karate
- Fighting Fit Fencers
- London Boxing
- Alan Winner Martial Arts
- Dhol Drummers
- Macpro Basketball
- Midnight Madness Basketball
- London School of Capoeira
- Independance Street dance
- Free Run
Athletes
- Judy Oakes – Commonwealth Games Shot putter
- Adrian Turner – Olympic Swimmer
- Siobhan Chamberlain – England footballer
- Anthony Small – Olympic boxer
- Lianne Sanderson – England footballer
- Tony Ally – Champion diver
- Danny Davis – South London FM presenter
- Joe Gallen – Manager of Millwall FC
- Paul Robinson – Millwall FC
- Gary Alexander – Millwall FC
- Anne Wafula Strike – Paralympic athlete
- Dexter Blackstock – QPR striker
- Lesley Owusu – Olympic 400m runner
- Jo Sarjant – Commonwealth gold medallist
- Georgian Harland – Team GB
- Jason Gardener – Team GB
- Mark Foster – Team GB
- Alex Beardmore – 2012 hopeful fencer
- Leah King – 2012 hopeful fencer
- Colin Nell – Football freestyler
- Maggie Alphonsi – World Cup winning Rugby player
- Donna Fraser – Team GB
- Jason Degale – Team GB
