Raising Our Game

How Worcestershire’s cultural sector can realise the benefits from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Cultural Olympiad (a UK-wide cultural festival) begins when London becomes the host city at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games in 2008. It is a four-year UK-wide Cultural Festival. The West Midlands is the lead region for the Cultural Olympiad.  Peirre de Coubertin (athlete and poet) created the modern Olympics after being inspired by the Much Wenlock games. He was impressed with ‘the wedding of sport and art’.

What's Happening Nationally?
The West Midlands Focus
Potential Opportunities for Worcestershire
Current Focus for Worcestershire

What’s Happening Nationally?

The Cultural Olympiad includes the following projects:

• Film and Video Nation: a UK-wide, four-year festival including a young people’s filmmaking competition
• 2012 Sounds!: participative music projects around the UK from 2008-2012, providing an opportunity for young people to work alongside great musicians
• World Festival of Youth Culture: exploring how young people can celebrate the Games through art, music and fashion
• An investment of £9 million towards youth-inspired and youth-led music making
• Three principal programmes:
  • Grass Roots: 2,000 community music making projects during 2010-2012
  • United in Song: the largest ever “World in Song” Youth Choir and a Singing Challenge Week
  • Ozones – Sky High Music: a collaboration of 400 of our most talented young musicians in creative music making, song writing and performance
• The 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. The torch relay will visit towns and cities throughout the UK from 2011 onwards
• Creation of the new 2012 Legacy Trust Fund - Plans to fund 15 projects as part of a World Festival of Youth Culture

The West Midlands Regional Focus

• Create a climate of activity in which the planning of events to mark the start of the historic four-year cultural festival (which begins on 24^th August 2008) starts immediately.
  • Create a model for community-based culture and sports events aimed at encouraging local communities across the region to work together to celebrate their own local distinctiveness - encouraging regional engagement in the delivery of cultural projects and events (leading to an international festival by 2011)
  • Exploring the idea of a Community Olympian Games (inspired by Much Wenlock) that may result in a template for local, low cost, community events. National money may be available.
• Promoting the participation of regional artists and performers in the major 2012 televised ceremonies
• Engagement in the Pathway to Potential initiative – enabling young people inspired by the Games  to reach their personal potential in their chosen area of activity
• Culture West Midlands has agreed to fund a feasibility study for a West Midlands International Cultural Festival in the run up to 2012 – aimed at promoting international tourism and creating a stage for the promotion of regional business

Potential Opportunities for Worcestershire

• Maximise synergy with national and regional activities
  • Link to the Cultural Olympic Programme (2008 – 2012)
  • Local communities / Town councils etc be invited to engage in planning for events to begin in 2009.  The 2012 Olympic Games could then provide the focus of activities and the legacy would be the development of and learning amongst community groups which would both enable events to be sustained beyond 2012 and also encourage further community development.
  • Festivals to celebrate every element of the vibrant cultural life of Worcestershire through events, exhibitions and educational activities – an opportunity for creative industries and artists to flourish and to show their work
• Work with existing cultural festivals, events and activities to explore how the 2012 theme can add value to festivals
• Lobby for the Olympic Torch visiting (overnight) to Worcester
• Link to schools to mix music and sport – create an Olympic song
• Identify projects to fit within the 2012 Legacy Trust fund
• Engagement of local influencers

Current Focus for Worcestershire (Plans currently being discussed)

• Worcestershire Assembly – Focus for 2008: Opportunities for Worcestershire from the 2012 Olympic Games

Contact the Coordinator

Tourism – Business – Sport – Culture – Volunteers – Worcestershire 2012 Olympic Coordinator