25 June 2009

Seb Coe views Merseyside’s sporting legacy

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will be visiting Merseyside today (25th June 2009) to see how London 2012 is inspiring a generation of young people to take part in sport.

Seb’s visit begins at the annual Merseyside Primary Games at Wavertree Sports Park where he will have a chance to see around 1,500 youngsters across Merseyside participating in sports such as swimming, hockey, rugby and basketball. The event also marks the Merseyside launch of the ‘Playground to Podium’ initiative, which identifies, develops and supports talented young disabled athletes. Here, athletes will be showcasing their talents in sports including swimming, boccia, wheelchair basketball and football. The 6 Liverpool City Region Mayors will also be using Seb’s visit as an opportunity to sign a charter pledging their commitment to developing a strong legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Seb’s visit also includes a tour of Halewood Learning Centre, developed as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, which is helping to transform secondary school sporting facilities in Knowsley. Here, Seb will meet Knowsley’s ‘Young Ambassadors’ and view a number of different sporting activities.

The day rounds off with a stop at St Helens Community Fire Station, which has developed a series of programmes to use sport as a way of improving the health of young people in the area. Here, Seb will be able to view activities focusing on weight management, boxing and ‘streetcage’ sport.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said:

“Today’s visit to the Northwest encapsulates everything we went to Singapore to bid for. Young people across Merseyside are learning and developing their skills through their interest in sport and the 2012 Games.

“The innovative Merseyside projects I am visiting today offer exciting potential for further increases in sports participation, greater social cohesion and healthier lifestyles in the run up to 2012 and beyond.”

Andy Worthington, Chair of the Northwest Steering Group for the 2012 Games, said:

“I’m always pleased to welcome Seb to the Northwest. What’s particularly good on this occasion is that he not only has the opportunity to view the fantastic sporting facilities on Merseyside, but also see our young people sharing and developing their passion for sport.  If the region is to generate a positive sporting legacy from London 2012, it’s vital that we continue to inspire and motivate young people to become a real part of it.

“Of course there are also opportunities for the Northwest to benefit in areas other than sport, and we’re working hard to ensure that we do just that. From businesses competing for Games-related contracts, the region securing world-class teams to use our facilities for Pre Games Training Camps, to our schools getting involved in London 2012’s education programme, there are a number of ways that Merseyside, and the Northwest, can be a part of the success.”

The visit involves the support of a number of key partners including Merseyside Sports Partnership, Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Borough Council, St Helens Council and Wirral Borough Council.

Jean Stephens, Director of Merseyside Sports Partnership, said:

“Merseyside has a great traditional of producing talented sports people. The Merseyside Primary Games provides a fantastic opportunity for young people to participate in sport and to develop their skills to the best of their ability. The sheer presence of Lord Coe will bring inspiration to the young people of Merseyside in a ways that if young people ‘believe it’, they can achieve it.”

-ends-
Notes to editors

Merseyside and London 2012
• Merseyside has established its own 2012 Steering Group with representation from the 6 local authorities in the city region, alongside the Merseyside Sports Partnership, and the 2 Universities in Liverpool.

• Merseyside has a number of venues listed in the London 2012 Pre Games Training Camp Guide. These are:

Venue Local Authority Area
Aintree Racecourse Sefton
Altcar Army Training Camp Sefton
Arena and Conference Centre Liverpool
Greenbank Sports Academy Liverpool
I M Marsh Campus (LJMU) Liverpool
Litherland Sports Park Sefton
Liverpool (Wavertree) Athletics Centre Liverpool
Liverpool Aquatics Centre Liverpool
Liverpool Tennis Centre Liverpool
Park Road Gymnastics Centre Liverpool
Regional Table Tennis Centre Halton
SKK Judo Club St Helens
Sutton Leisure Centre St Helens
The Oval Sports Centre Wirral
University of Liverpool Sports Centre Liverpool
Walton Soccer Centre Liverpool

• At least 70 Northwest businesses have already won work from London 2012, of which 9 companies are from Merseyside.

• 5 Merseyside companies have/are supplying the Olympic Delivery Authority. These include:
- Amion Consulting, Liverpool - Economics, Social and Physical Regeneration
- Corporate Culture, Liverpool - Social marketing activities to engage local communities
- Defence Vetting Agency, Liverpool - Services
- Imagination Air Travel Ltd, Wirral -  Conference and catering services for ODA Industry Day
- Korea (Survey Supplies Ltd), Waterloo -  Supplied surveying equipment for Olympic Park and Weymouth Pavilion and Ferry Terminal

• 2 Merseyside companies registered on CompeteFor, the service which matches companies to London 2012 business contracts, have won work:
- Speedy Hire (Merseyside) - awarded a contract to supply and maintain a water bowser and generator for Portakabin use at the Olympic Park.
- Imagination Ltd (Wirral) - supplied the ODA with a function room to host their next industry day.

•  A number of Northwest businesses visited the Olympic Park yesterday (24th June 2009) to view developments on site and gain an insight into the opportunities available in bidding for Games-related contracts. Merseyside companies attending included E&P Painting (Ellesmere Port), Glen Dimplex Home Appliances (Prescot) and Trendrail (St Helens).
 
•  As of April 2009, 349 schools in the Northwest had registered on GetSet, the London 2012 Education Programme. 51 of these are from Merseyside. Knowsley has the highest penetration rate in Merseyside (second highest regionally) with over 17% of schools registered.

For further information please contact Rachel Handford, Senior Press Officer on 01925 400237 or 07810 528449 or rachel.handford@nwda.co.uk 

For further information and to view all press releases visit us at www.nwda.co.uk/press    

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:

• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life