EEDA - East of England Development Agency

Legacy Trust announces funding for East of England programme to deliver legacy from London 2012

15 September 2008

The Legacy Trust UK Board has granted £1.51m to the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) as part of its remit to promote long lasting and wide ranging benefits from the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The grant will be used to boost volunteering in culture and sport during the build up to the 2012 Games in order to develop hands-on volunteering experience and help boost career options for participants.

The programme will develop over four years and aims to engage with individuals in the East of England who may be unemployed or economically inactive. Using the inspiration of London 2012, the programme will involve a whole range of people, giving them experience, confidence and progression routes to new educational and employment opportunities.

EEDA has committed to provide an additional £1m through European Social Funds to the project.

Cllr Stephen Castle, EEDA Board Member and Chairman of Nations and Regions East said:

“The Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. Using this grant we have a fantastic opportunity to reach out and to involve people from our local communities, providing them with opportunities that could potentially see participants volunteering at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.”

Graham Long, Head of Culture, Sport and Tourism for EEDA commented: “We are delighted that this significant grant has now been confirmed. The EEDA programme funded by this grant will encourage and support people throughout the region to take part in cultural and sporting events, and will help leave a lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympics.”

The Legacy Trust UK was launched in November 2007 with a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Trust has committed to match this original funding and has set itself a target of £80 million being available for legacy projects over its lifetime.  About 70 per cent of its funding will go to cultural activities, the rest to sport.

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