EEDA - East of England Development Agency

Seb Coe fires starting gun for London 2012 Open Weekend celebrations across the East of England – Supported by BP

16 July 2009

A series of exciting events across the East of England, as part of London 2012 Open Weekend (24-26 July 2009) enabling acess to excellence in the arts, culture and sport, celebrating three years to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Exciting events across the East of England, from junk percussion orchestras to skating, biking, photography exhibitions and even a night Knight School are to be part of London 2012 Open Weekend (24 – 26 July 2009) – a series of events across the country enabling access to excellence in the arts, culture and sport and celebrating three years to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games.  

London 2012 Open Weekend enables everyone to share in the excitement of the Games, be inspired, get involved, unleash creativity and try something new. Join the celebrations across the East of England and plan your weekend: www.london2012.com/openweekend

All nineteen London 2012 Open Weekend Events taking place in the East of England are listed, county-by-county, below. Examples include:

•  Sport and Art spectacularly collide at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in Open Up and Step Up as well and discover new sports across Milton.
• Explore the incredible cycling routes through Epping forest with top cycling coaches on hand to help you out and point you in the right direction; practice show jumping in Waltham Abbey; and experience exciting sporting activities in Southend on Sea and Braintree.
• Get playing on those old pots and pans in the Big Beat Junk Percussion Workshop in Broxbourne; hone those swimming skills for free in Hitchin and Royston; and enjoy activities such as rollerskating and dodgeball in Letchworth.
• Try your hand (or feet!) at skateboarding at RSS Freestyle – an event to launch Great Yarmouth’s first and only concrete skate park and celebrate spectacular Zimbabwean performances in Gum Boot Steam Up, Norwich
  Go to Knight School… join in with battle practice, fire a trebuchet and try on armour to learn about Ipswich’s historical roots.

The London 2012 Open Weekend created by London 2012 is supported by BP, the Premier Partner of the Cultural Olympiad.  London 2012 Open Weekend will take place every year in July.

This year’s London 2012 Open Weekend follows the success of last year’s event, which launched the Cultural Olympiad and enabled over 700,000 people to become part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Be inspired at Open Weekend
Many events recognised through the London 2012 Inspire programme, are also involved in London 2012 Open Weekend. The London 2012 Inspire programme recognizes exceptional mass participation projects and events inspired by London 2012 and contributing to its wider legacy.  

The Inspire programme and Open Weekend are examples of how London 2012 is enabling people and communities right across the UK to benefit from the Games, encouraging participation and recognising the contribution people, places and projects are making to the success of the 2012 Games.

East of England Open Weekend Lead, Stephanie Hogger said:  “With 3 years to go until the Olympic torch is lit, we’re challenging everyone to try something exciting, to try something new inspired by London 2012. The weekend is all about events and activities that happen close to home; a chance to see places in a new light and to try things you’ve never done before. We’re really excited about the range of sporting and cultural activities on offer. We hope as many people as possible will take up the challenge because the count down to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 starts here.”

London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe said: “We’ve always been clear that London 2012 is more than sport, a Games for the Nation and accessible to everyone.  We created Open Weekend to enable people to share in the countdown celebrations towards London 2012 but also be inspired by the Games to discover new interests and develop their talents. 

“Open Weekend is part of our vision for the Games to inspire lasting change.  The fantastic range of Open Weekend events provide opportunities for everyone to access excellence across sport, art and culture and try something new.  The Games are thriving across the UK and we are grateful to the organisations that have partnered with us to make Open Weekend happen.”

Peter Mather, Head of BP in the UK said: “BP is delighted to become the Premier Partner of the Cultural Olympiad. We have an excellent track record for supporting the arts in the UK and we want to help build further synergies between sports and the arts in the run up to the 2012 Games.   We are already working closely with LOCOG on our plans as the official Tier 1 oil and gas partner and adding the cultural arm to these activities is something to which we are looking forward.”