For immediate release, Sunday 20th April 2008
Legacy Trust UK Approve Proposals for 2012 Olympic Celebrations in London
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 London region.
In London, the Big Dance programme will embrace the widest possible definition of dance and the broadest range of dance activity in the city. It hopes to get artists and communities across London involved in the programme and excited about the innovative dance events on offer. As well as local and regional activities, there will also be works of international significance on show.
Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chair of the London Culture and Creativity Forum, said: “Big Dance for London will transcend barriers and divisions. It will draw strength from London's diverse communities, it will bring together young and old, it will take place from the streets and estates across London to the world stages of our greatest theatres, and it will inspire us all to get involved. We are delighted that Legacy Trust UK has made possible this exciting opportunity, and confident that it will create a lasting legacy beyond 2012.”
At the board meeting on 19th March, Legacy Trust UK 1 approved outline proposals for the use of its allocated funding (approximately 50% of the total endowment) to eleven 2 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.
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For further UK wide information please contact Moira Swinbank, LTUK, CEO on 07740 422673 www.legacytrustuk.com.
London contact for Big Dance:
Jeanette Siddall
t: 020 7403 3976
m: 0776 970 2527
e: jeanette_siddall@yahoo.co.uk
1 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
2 Scotland is working to a longer timetable taking account of the Commonwealth Games too and will submit the outline proposal shortly.