The latest Games news in your area
Issue 6 Winter 2008
your Games
be iinspired n
UK cycling star Shanaze Reade wants you to get involved in London 2012
Get involved at the Get Set London roadshow
Get Set London roadshow in your borough: Greenwich Saturday 23 February Woolwich Town Centre Hackney Thursday 13 March Ocean, Hackney Newham Sunday 6 April Theatre Square, Stratford For more information on dates and venues around London: www.london2012.com
Visitors attend the roadshow launch at Trafalgar Square
The Get Set London roadshow is underway, offering Londoners an opportunity to find out how the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will benefit culture, sport, business and regeneration in the capital. The roadshow launched in January in Trafalgar Square with athletes including BMX champion Shanaze Reade (pictured on the cover at the launch of adidas as a London 2012 Tier One commercial partner) and Paralympic swimmer Giles Long. It will visit all 33 London boroughs by April, offering every Londoner and local business the chance to find out how they can get involved right now in the 2012 Games. The events are aimed at the whole community with special pods featuring interactive sporting equipment and information on the opportunities for jobs, skills development and business in each local area. If you’re part of a musical act you can also find out how to compete for the chance to perform during the Handover Celebrations in London in August 2008. The audition website is open until 24 February at www.itvlocal.com/audition.
British Airways (BA) has been announced as London 2012’s fourth Tier One partner, in the Airline category. As part of the deal, BA will provide travel bursaries for young athletes and extend their community work to include east London. It follows the news of the first Tier Two appointment, professional services supporter Deloitte.
A perfect match for local businesses
A new online service has launched helping companies compete for thousands of London 2012 business opportunities. The London 2012 Business Network enables companies to apply for work both with London 2012 directly and also with hundreds of Games suppliers. Businesses can sign up to take part in an online ‘dating scheme’ – CompeteFor – that matches them with the requirements of existing Games contractors. They can also access information on upcoming London 2012 contracts and business events. To join the network, go to: www.london2012.com/ business
Greenwich to host debut half-marathon
The half-marathon route will be lined with bands and singers
The race is on to register for London’s first official half-marathon in Greenwich on 5 October. Up to 10,000 runners are expected to take part in ‘Run to the Beat’, a 13-mile fitness challenge and music festival. Bands and artists will line the route that will pass three London 2012 venues along the roads used by runners in the annual London Marathon. The race will start and finish at The Dome – the venue for the Basketball finals, Artistic Gymnastics and Trampoline at the 2012 Games. For more information: www.greenwich.gov.uk/runtothebeat
Sports clubs open their doors – try for free
Waltham Forest Hadri Taekwondo Club show off their skills
Residents of Waltham Forest could discover hidden sporting talents as clubs in the borough open their doors for a fortnight of free public sessions. The ‘come and try’ event, organised by the council, is designed to give local people the chance to try out a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports. Last year more than 200 people took part and many went on to join clubs like the Hadri Taekwondo Club in Walthamstow. This year’s ‘come and try’ fortnight was launched at the Get Set London roadshow at SCORE, Leyton on 18 February and will run until 2 March. For more information: www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/2012games
Demolition complete on Olympic Park site
Contractors working on the Olympic Park have completed demolition on the sites of the five main venues. Games organisers announced the milestone just before Christmas. Construction will now start on the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, VeloPark, media and press centres and Olympic Village later in the year. To help local people get work on the project a plant training centre has been set up at Eton Manor in the north of the Olympic Park. It is aimed at those who have little to no construction experience, and teaches skills such as operating diggers and trucks. For more information: www.london2012.com/ plans
Find work on the Olympic Park site
Up to 20,000 people will be needed to work on the Olympic Park site by the time construction hits its peak in 2010. Local residents can now get help to boost their chances of finding jobs under a London 2012 Employment and Skills Training Strategy. The programme offers free skills training as well as improving links between employers, job brokerage networks and people out of work. For more information on jobs in the Olympic Park: www.london2012.com/jobs
Jerkins Osagiede
Greenwich ‘I’ve recently completed a course at the Eton Manor National Construction College. It’s good as we’re learning the exact skills we would be doing on a site. ‘I’m hoping this will give me a better chance of getting another job, as my agency said there were some jobs coming up for people who can drive dumper trucks. ‘It would be great to work on the Olympic Park site. I can see a lot of construction opportunities coming from this project and I want to be part of it.’ For more information on how you can get involved contact your local office: 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
Q&A event proves a success
More than 100 Tower Hamlets residents had their Games-related questions answered by a panel of representatives from London 2012 at an open evening. The event at Mile End Park Leisure Centre was a chance for local people to find out about plans for the 2012 Games, including how they can get involved and benefit. There was also an opportunity to recognise some of the borough’s aspiring athletes such as Athletics stars Perri Shakes-Drayton and Leevan Yearwood. Participants heard how Personal Best – a training programme that helps participants gain new skills and find jobs and training opportunities – was already helping local people make the most of Games.
The Personal Best programme is an initiative which encourages people to take up volunteering as a way of gaining new skills and moving into employment. For more information contact 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 3598 nancy.whiskin@ newham.gov.uk Tower Hamlets Jasmine Hossain 020 7364 5064 jasmine.hossain@ towerhamlets.gov.uk Waltham Forest Jill Ross 020 8521 4311 jillross@walthamforest. gov.uk
Chitra Banerjee
Hackney ‘Since taking part in the Personal Best programme, I have learnt lots of new and useful skills. Right now, I’m a volunteer for Age Concern and I love it. ‘My job involves teaching local people about how to use computers and send emails. It’s very important for them and I enjoy making people happy. ‘Personal Best is an interesting programme. For instance, I recently did a course on crowd control for the Stoke Newington festival. ‘I’ve had a great experience and would recommend the scheme to anybody.’
Newham’s young people hitting new heights
Fencing is proving extremely popular amongst Newham youngsters
Young fencers from a Newham club are fighting their way to the top with the help of Olympic champion Tessa Sanderson and Fencing ace Linda Strachan. Tessa’s Newham Sports Academy is supporting some of the top members of the Newham Swords Fencing Club with extra funding and advice on things such as diet and psychology. The club was only formed two years ago, but it had more competitors than any other in the British Youth Championships held at the end of January. Its members also helped Newham beat five-time champions Kensington and Chelsea to win the Fencing competition at the 2007 London Youth Games. One of the team, 14-year-old Alex Savin, has now been picked to represent Great Britain in an international event. Tessa said: ‘This is one of the clubs everybody is talking about ahead of London 2012.’ Newham Swords runs training sessions for anyone aged eight or above. For more information on how to take part, contact Linda Strachan on 07956 618898 or visit www.newhamswords.co.uk.
The Newham Sports Academy opened in 2006 to provide elite coaching and support to the area’s most promising young athletes across a range of sports. Newham Sports Academy in numbers:
10
sports
14
elite coaches
60+
athletes involved in the first year
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
Have your say
We would love to hear your thoughts about this newsletter and the other London 2012 publications for your area. Please visit www.london2012.com/yourgames and tell us what you think.
Other formats and languages This publication is available on request in other formats and languages. For a large print, easy read, Braille, word or audio version please call 0203 2012 000 or email yourgames@london2012.com and quote reference: LOC17
Published February 2008. 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 2008. All rights reserved.