For immediate release, Sunday 20th April 2008
Legacy Trust UK Approve Proposals for 2012 Olympic Celebrations in East of England
To encourage participation and to celebrate the hosting of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Legacy Trust UK has approved an outline proposal for a range of activities and events across the East of England region.
The Step Up programme, lead by Living East, aims to improve and enhance young peoples’ skills to support major cultural and sporting events in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and beyond. The programme consists of two core phases: skills development for workless people, followed by several public events where those skills can be used.
Graham Creelman, Chair of Living East 1, said, "We are excited at the prospect of using the Legacy Trust funding for the regional implementation of 'Personal Best', a pre-volunteering programme, to encourage disadvantaged people back into employment. As well as this, we hope to provide an innovative skills development programme for young people, using the major cultural and sporting events in the region in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and beyond."
At the board meeting on 19th March, Legacy Trust UK 2 approved outline proposals for the use of its allocated funding (approximately 50% of the total endowment) to eleven 3 of the twelve nations and regions. This funding is approved to enable each area to work up a detailed business plan working in partnership to deliver programmes including culture, knowledge, sport and well-being leaving a lasting legacy in communities as a result of London 2012.
Dugald Mackie, Chair of Board of Legacy Trust UK, said, “Legacy Trust UK has allocated funds to each region and country of the UK to develop and support innovative and exciting projects in communities embracing the values of the 2012 Games. The outline proposals so far submitted are inspirational and certainly fit the bill. We look forward to working with each nation and region to make these projects a reality and to leave a lasting legacy throughout the UK.”
It is intended that Legacy Trust UK funds will act as a catalyst for activities which will attract other funding and ensure a truly UK wide experience of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games by building on and strengthening existing partnerships and joining sport and culture in new and innovative activities.
The strategy to allocate funding through the Regional Cultural Consortia in England and Government, Arts and Sports organisations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is to ensure that there is UK wide funding and activity in support of London 2012. The funding is roughly allocated with the following split – Culture 70% and Sport 30%.
Each nation and regions has chosen a theme under which to develop a programme of activities that will leave a legacy of the 2012 Games in communities throughout the UK. The themes range from ‘Moving Together’ a programme to encourage mass community participation in sport, cultural activity and dance in the West Midlands to ‘The Power of the Flame in Wales’, using the arts to develop capacity in communities and ‘i move.·. i am’ - a four year exploration of the moving body across all cultural forms, sports and science which aims to transform the way people feel and think about their moving bodies in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Each nation and region has until mid June to submit a detailed business plan showing what activities will be delivered, who will be involved and how this will leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the UK.
They have also identified additional funding and in kind support to help realise the ambition of doubling the size of the endowment to £80 million.
For further UK wide information please contact Moira Swinbank, LTUK, CEO on 07740 422673 www.legacytrustuk.com.
East of England contact:
Jane Edwards
Executive Director
Living East
GO-East
Shaftesbury Road
Cambridge CB2 8DF
t: 01223 372610
e: jane.edwards@livingeast.org.uk
website www.livingeast.org.uk
1) Living East is the cultural consortium for the East of England, established in 1999 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The consortium is the lead advocate for culture in the East of England.
2) Legacy Trust UK has been established as a charitable trust to use funding endowed by the Big Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The total endowment is £40million with £6million ring fenced for the UK Schools Games
3) Scotland is working to a longer timetable taking account of the Commonwealth Games too and will submit the outline proposal shortly.