The promised sporting legacy for young people in the capital is at risk unless efforts to increase sports participation in the lead-up to the 2012 Games are fine-tuned, the Mayor was told today. A submission to the Mayor by the Assembly’s Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism (EDCST) Committee claims it is essential new and innovative ways are found to engage with young Londoners outside mainstream education. Current efforts to communicate with young people focus on using schools and colleges, ignoring the fact that large numbers of young people are not in the educational system.  The submission recommends local sports providers work closely with pupil referral units and youth centres. The Committee recommends that in order to boost access, a London-wide sports card – similar to the Oystercard – should be developed to allow young people free or discounted use of sports facilities. The submission also calls for the introduction of a scheme giving young Londoners access to financial support to help them train to become sports coaches, which will enable them to deliver sporting activities for other young people.

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13 November 2008
© LONDON

The Scottish Government has submitted a formal bid document to retrieve £150 million in lottery funds diverted from Scottish good causes to finance the 2012 London Olympics. Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell today revealed that the bid document has been sent to Andy Burnham, Secretary of State at the UK Department of Culture, Media & Sport. Mr Maxwell stressed that the return of the money was “a matter of natural justice” on the grounds that it was “fundamentally unfair” that Scottish good causes should suffer to pay for London 2012. The money would be destined to ensure a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games - awarded to Scotland exactly one year ago. In the Scottish Parliament on September 25, MSPs unanimously endorsed a motion calling for a substantial sum of National Lottery funding to be released as soon as possible to support a lasting legacy from Glasgow 2014. The £150 million will not be used to fund the delivery of the 2014 Games - these costs are being met by the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council.

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9 November 2008
© Scottish Government

A petition to demand the Government diverts no more National Lottery money to pay for the 2012 Olympics has been started by a network of funding advisers. The Government took £638m from lottery funds last year to pay for the rising costs of the games. George – the South West Funding Advisers Forum , a network for funding advisers in south-west England, has set up the petition on the Number 10 website: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Lottery-Funding/

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22 October 2008
© Third Sector Online

A new helpline will give charities the chance to find out what opportunities are available to them in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. The London Development Agency has given Big Opportunity Direct a £100,000 grant to give advice to charities on subjects such as contract opportunities or volunteer recruitment.

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23 October 2008
© Emily Twinch, Third Sector Online

The Daisy Daisy project is run by Warrington Borough Council and funded by the Communities for Health fund. It enables people who would not normally be able to cycle to use specially adapted cycles, where necessary, to take part in activities. The pilot project focused on: people with mental health problems, people aged over 65. Over the pilot’s 11 weeks, 49 people took part in 66 sessions. There were 51 attendances from people who had a mental health problem and 165 from over-65s. Questionnaires were distributed to all participants at the start and end of the programme. These were to assess the impact of the project on their quality of life and fitness. All participants completed questionnaires.

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6 October 2008
© IDeA

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today announced the appointment of a Legacy Board of Advisors to assist him in securing the best possible future for the Olympic Park after the 2012 Games. The Board will be chaired by David Ross, Deputy Chairman of The Carphone Warehouse, who was the Mayor’s nominee to the Board of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). The new Board will advise the Mayor on all aspects of the legacy programme for London. It will, in particular, focus on the emerging proposals for physical development and regeneration in and around the Olympic Park after the Games and the business plan for the Olympic Park and legacy venues. It will advise the Mayor on how to maximise the regeneration benefits for existing and new communities in East London while ensuring an appropriate return on the public investment in the Park. It will also focus on high standards of management and maintenance of the Park and venues while delivering viability, affordability and the best possible use of the venues by Londoners and by elite athletes.

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2 October 2008
© LONDON

Nine million people over 60 are set to get free swimming as Culture Secretary Andy Burnham today announced that more than 80 per cent of local authorities are to join a Government scheme. The initiative is part of a £140 million Government investment in the sport that also includes free swimming for those aged 16 and under and capital for local authorities to upgrade pools. For the over 60s, 300 out of 354 local authorities have confirmed that they will participate, offering free swimming to this age group between 2009 and 2011. For the under 16s, 296 local authorities have expressed their interest in claiming their share of the £50 million fund for this age group, that will also be invested between 2009 and 2011. Those local authorities that opt in for both the over 60s and under 16s pots will also share a £10 million capital fund, for 2008 / 09, to modernise and improve swimming pools.

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24 September 2008
© Department for Culture, Media And Sport (National)

Mayor of London Boris Johnson today met members of the ParalympicsGB team in Beijing and pledged top quality facilities for the Paralympians competing in London in 2012. Accessibility is a key objective of all facilities to benefit both disabled athletes and disabled spectators in 2012 and for future generations who want to participate or watch Paralympic sports. The Mayor has been looking carefully at the Paralympic facilities in Beijing to see what has worked well, as well as what can be improved upon for London’s Games. Whilst he wants to deliver value for money from the 2012 budget, he is determined that this will not be at the expense of Paralympic athletes and supporters and he has pledged to push 2012 organisers to address any barriers that could affect participation in or enjoyment of the London Games. The Mayor said: ‘It is clear from the crowded stadiums that the Chinese have warmly embraced the Paralympics and it shows the power of the Paralympic movement to change perceptions about disability. It has been terrific to see ParalympicsGB delivering for their country, with an overwhelming medal tally. We must now ensure that we deliver for them in 2012. It would be nothing short of a disgrace if the 2012 Games were less accessible than those we have witnessed here in Beijing so we must listen to any concerns that arise as we continue our planning and building. Accessibility in 2012 is not an optional extra, it must be at the centre of our work.’

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22 September 2008
© LONDON

Councils joined with young people to mark this week’s Paralympics handover – and to launch Get Set, the education programme designed to get students involved in the 2012 Games. As the British Paralympian team celebrated a record haul of 102 medals including 42 golds, councils across the country coordinated flag and song competitions, sports events, and concerts. More than 4,500 schools and colleges held their own mini-games, dance, drama and art displays. Several London boroughs, including those preparing to host the Olympics in 2012, joined with the London Development Agency, to hold ‘Summer of sport’ handover events, providing taster sessions for disabled and able-bodied members of the public in a range of sports. Cllr John Fahy, Greenwich council’s cabinet member for the Olympics, said, “Greenwich is proud to be a host borough for the 2012 Paralympics and we are determined to use this role to create more opportunities for disabled adults and children to take part, and to excel, in sport.” Meanwhile at a Youth Sport Trust conference in York, Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, launched the Get Set website. The interactive site has a range of learning resources including games, news articles, films and fact sheets – designed to get young people and their teachers thinking about Olympic and Paralympic values. See www.london2012.com/get-involved/education/get-set.php

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17 September 2008
© LGA

The London 2012 Games must act as a catalyst to transform access for disabled people around the city, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said today. Speaking in Beijing ahead of the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, Boris Johnson praised the achievements of Team GB’s Paralympic athletes and pledged to make London’s Games the most accessible ever. The Mayor said he would work with 2012 organisers and authorities across London to ensure the capital was doing everything possible to maximise not only access to the Games but access to the city’s many hotels, restaurants, nightspots and other leisure venues for generations to come.
 
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16 September 2008
© Mayor of London