The latest Games news in your area
Issue 5 Autumn 2007
your Games
Read all about the new 80,000 seater Olympic Stadium — a world-class facility on your doorstep
world-class
Olympic Stadium designs released
An artist’s impression of the Olympic Stadium in 2012
The world has had its first look at plans for east London’s Olympic Stadium, which will be the heart of the 2012 Games. The design has been shaped by the needs of local people, with long-term plans for community use built-in. The Stadium will hold 80,000 spectators when it hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Athletics events in 2012. After the Games, 55,000 seats will be removed to leave a permanent venue with a range of uses including community events. It is the first time such a big part of a stadium has been designed as temporary, and organisers think it will set an example for architects in the future. Construction is now due to start next spring, three months ahead of schedule. Inside: get your exclusive Olympic Stadium poster.
Park opens to public
Hundreds of people living near the Olympic Park have enjoyed a unique insight into how work is progressing. Nearly 90 per cent of existing buildings have been demolished since the Park closed to the public in July. As part of London’s annual Open House weekend in September, almost 2,000 visitors took the chance to tour the 2.5 km² site in organised bus trips. Contact your borough for details of further tours.
Greenwich 020 8921 6405 Hackney 020 8356 3126 Newham 020 8430 2012 Tower Hamlets 020 7364 2476 Waltham Forest 020 8496 6744
A green Games for London
If the whole world lived the way people do in the UK today, we’d need three planets’ worth of resources to support us. That’s the reality behind ‘towards a one planet 2012’ – the title of London 2012’s new Sustainability Plan. Being ‘sustainable’ doesn’t just mean looking after the natural environment. It also means thinking about people’s current and long-term needs, and improving their quality of life. London 2012 has produced a plan on how it will ensure the 2012 project can be as sustainable as possible. This includes considering areas such as waste, climate change, biodiversity (the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species), inclusion (making sure the benefits are enjoyed by everybody) and healthy living. The London 2012 Sustainability Plan will be applied before, during and after the Games by everyone involved. For more information: www.london2012.com/publications
Sustainability in numbers
90
Percentage of demolition materials which will be recycled or reused in the Olympic Park
120
Height in metres of the wind turbine which will be built in the north of the Park to provide renewable energy
5,000
Bicycle parking spaces which will be available during Games time in the Olympic Park
adidas join London 2012
A group of twenty 12-year-olds raced against the fastest people on earth at a special event to announce adidas as a London 2012 commercial partner. The students, from London schools, were invited to the Millennium Bridge, which was transformed into a 100m sprint track for the day.
Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix joined in the celebrations with local children
They took part in a contest with world champion sprinters Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix from the USA, as part of London-wide celebrations for the partnership deal.
adidas is the new Sportswear Partner of London 2012. It will supply all the kit for the Great Britain team for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and London 2012 staff and volunteers. The company is encouraging people to join in with the 2012 Games, by showing off their own sports skills live at www.adidas.com/london2012
Waltham Forest young people make their voices heard
More young people in Waltham Forest will have the chance to join the borough’s Youth Ambassadors scheme. The initiative was launched last year to let 11 to 18-year-olds have their say on preparations for the 2012 Games. As Steven Cheung, 18, of Highams Park School explained, the programme has proved extremely popular among Waltham Forest’s young people. ‘I’ve really enjoyed the last year as a Youth Ambassador for the borough,’ said Steven. ‘I was selected by my school to be a part of the scheme and I jumped at the chance to get so closely involved with the 2012 Games. I’ve met some really interesting and influential people, learnt new skills and have brilliant experience to put on my CV. ‘It’s great that people are listening to what we want for the future of our area. I’m really looking forward to the next intake of Ambassadors to build upon the work we have started.’ The scheme has proved so successful that the council is offering another place to every school in the borough. The first set of 29 ambassadors took part in a range of events, expressing their hopes and concerns to the top 2012 Games organisers, famous athletes and politicians. They also played an important role in reporting back the latest Games information to their teachers, parents and friends.
Hackney sports fund boost
Winners at the Hackney Youth Sport Awards had an extra reason to celebrate as Mayor Jules Pipe used the event to announce a major new sports fund. The £220,000 fund will provide support for the borough’s most promising athletes and sports clubs from now until 2012. A further £80,000 has already been spent on training coaches in equality and diversity, and providing opportunities for disabled competitors and coaches. The Mayor was joined at the event by Paralympic champion swimmer Giles Long, who awarded prizes to members of the borough’s 400-strong London Youth Games team. The team, made up of athletes aged five to 16, jumped six places in this year’s London’s Youth Games rankings; an achievement the borough will strive to build on in the future.
Get together and go!
Older people in Newham have joined together to get fit for 2012 - and to explore their borough’s parks and other green spaces. A series of organised social walks attracted hundreds of participants who took the chance to discover areas including the Thames Barrier and West Ham Park. The ‘Get together and go’ days were part of Newham’s ‘Live Life’ campaign, which encourages residents to make the most of what the borough has to offer. Everyone who completed the distance received a free picnic and goody bag and had the option of a health check at the end.
High-speed rail link opens
High-speed trains are now passing through Stratford on the same line that will shuttle spectators from central London to the Olympic Park in 2012. The seven-minute Javelin® service will operate between King’s Cross St Pancras and Stratford International Station during the 2012 Games. Trains from London to mainland Europe started using the tracks from 14 November after the new St Pancras International Station opened on 6 November.
Personal Best glory
The first graduates from the pre-volunteer programme Personal Best were guests of honour at a ceremony of achievement at Wembley Stadium. The graduates who attended the ceremony, many from the five Host Boroughs, were congratulated by Mayor Ken Livingstone, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell and Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee. Personal Best provides skills training to prepare Londoners for work and volunteering opportunities. It is targeted at people who are not in work or education. Pilot schemes are taking place in 11 areas across London, helping many people gain their first ever qualification. The five Host Boroughs are part of the pilot scheme. The programme will be rolled out across London from April 2008 and it will be offered nationally later in 2008.
So far in Personal Best: - 370 people have taken part - 15 per cent have moved into jobs - 42 per cent have taken up further training - 33 per cent have opted for volunteering opportunities.
Your local borough representative: Greenwich Maxine Graversen 020 8312 7960 m.graversen@gllab.org.uk Hackney Oliur Rahman 020 8820 7073 oliur.rahman@ learningtrust.co.uk Newham Nancy Whiskin 020 8430 4330 nancy.whiskin@ newham.gov.uk Tower Hamlets Blossom Young 020 7364 4839 blossom.young@ towerhamlets.gov.uk Waltham Forest Community Learning and Skills Service (CLaSS) 020 8523 9355
Charmain Glen
Plumstead, Greenwich ‘The Personal Best programme has been great for me. I spent 14 years as a lone carer and wanted to get back into the workplace. Volunteering made that possible. ‘My main interest is security and through Jobcentre Plus, I was referred to the Greenwich Local Labour and Business scheme. ‘After going on the pre-volunteering programme, which I really enjoyed, I was offered paid work as a steward at The Dome. ‘I’ve learnt new skills, increased my confidence and met a wide range of people. There’s nothing I would change about this course.’
Employment focus: Tower Hamlets
Skillsmatch is a service underway in Tower Hamlets, helping the borough’s job seekers find suitable vacancies. In addition Skillsmatch organises training in areas such as finance, retail, hospitality, transport and office administration. Help is also available for people looking to write a CV, with the centre’s team on hand to advise on interview techniques, presentation and communication skills. The initiative delivers the Tower Hamlets part of the BOOST recruitment and training service, a scheme offered across the five Host Boroughs to help local people find work on the 2012 Games. More information is available at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk BOOST 0845 155 2012 www.boost-opportunities. org.uk Local centres: Greenwich Greenwich Local Labour and Business (GLLaB) 020 8858 7792 Hackney On-site 020 7241 7080 Newham Workplace 020 8430 4331 Tower Hamlets Skillsmatch 020 7364 3727 Waltham Forest At Work 020 8888 9887
Shaehzan Miah
Administration assistant, Whitechapel ‘Around this time last year I’d just finished my work placement for college and was waiting to hear if there were any jobs. ‘Then I got a call from the BOOST team at Skillsmatch and for my first interview I ended up on the Olympic Park site! ‘The Skillsmatch guys gave me a lot of support and confidence to go for it, and I was successful in getting the job – as an administration assistant with one of the contractors on site. ‘The team is great here - we have a laugh. ‘And because I’ve done well, they’re going to put me on a course to help me go further. I might even get a degree.’
London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, One Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5LN Reception 0203 2012 000 Email enquiries@london2012.com www.london2012.com
Other languages This publication is available on request in other languages. 0203 2012 000
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Reference: ODA 2007/031
Other formats This publication is available on request in other formats. For a large print, easy read, Braille, word or audio version please call 0203 2012 000 or email yourgames@london2012.com and quote reference: ODA 2007/031
Published December 2007. Printed at an ISO14001 accredited printer, using environmentally friendly paper. Telephone: 0203 2012 000 Email: yourgames@london2012.com Website: www.london2012.com
The construction of the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.
This document and the official Emblem of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd are protected by copyright. © London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd 2007. All rights reserved.
groundbreaking
The London 2012 Olympic Stadium is designed to be different. It is designed with long term community use in mind. The main features of the design are: – – The ‘bowl’, built into the ground, where the track and field will be. It means spectators can get as close as possible to the action. The ‘wrap’ – a colourful fabric curtain that stretches all the way round the outside, creating a canvas that can be used to show inspiring images. It will also provide shelter for spectators, and is 860 metres long. The roof, which is supported by cable the whole way around, covering two-thirds of the 80,000 spectators. The ‘podium’ – a raised area through which spectators will enter the Stadium, with food and merchandise on sale in self-contained ‘pods’. – –
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sunken bowl;
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roof.