LONDON 2012 ROADSHOW VISITS HALIFAX TO JOIN IN SPORTNG FUN AT
EUREKA!
20th August 2007
Eureka! Museum for Children saw a large turnout on Saturday as children from across West Yorkshire enjoyed taking part in a variety of sports and fitness activities throughout the day.
Officially kicked-off on 15 June in Greenwich, London, as part of this year’s tour of the UK the London 2012 Roadshow joined the festivities at the museum, as families enjoyed a special, day-long event including ‘have a go’ sports activities and Eureka!’s inland beach.
The events gave people the chance to find out about London 2012, visit the museum and get active. Helping inspire people to take up sport were Olympic diver Leon Taylor whose achievements include winning Silver at Athen’s Olympics and famously ending the 44 year medal drought for divers and World Class Paralympic athletes Sue Gilroy and Cathy Mitton.
Originally from Barnsley and ranked as the world number one Paralympic table tennis player, Sue partook in demonstration matches while encouraging children to have a go and try their hand at the sport. Cathy, who was born in Leeds, was also sharing her tips with all budding table tennis champions and demonstrating the technique that clinched her medals at both the Sydney and Athens Olympics.
Leon said: “The day has proved an absolute success and it has been fantastic to see so many kids enjoying all the different sports on offer here today.
“With a wide variety of activities taking place, including dancing to the YMCA, beach volleyball on the Eureka! Beach and table tennis with expert coaching from Sue and Cathy, I’ve no doubt a lot of children will have had their eyes opened to the variety of sports out there to try, which is a great way of keeping fit and healthy, and can also be really fun!
Leon continues: “I got involved with sport from a very young age and tried a range of activities before finding the ones I really enjoyed, which include diving and gymnastics. I would encourage everyone, no matter their age or background, to give sport a go - there really is something out there for everyone and in Yorkshire we have some of the best clubs and coaches to support you, be it amateur or professional level.”
Complementing the event’s activities, this year’s Roadshow selected a ‘Join In’ theme and promoted coaching and encouraged sports participation, especially among young people. It offered taster sessions in a range of traditional sports and fun activities for families to try, with advisors from Sport England Yorkshire, West Yorkshire Sport and Calderdale Council on hand to encourage visitors to find out more about local sporting clubs and facilities.
The Roadshow also contained a National Lottery ‘Dream Statistics’ zone to enable visitors to see how their statistics – including height, weight and muscle power – might make them suited to different sports.
Councillor Peter Price, Chair of Sport England Yorkshire Board, said: “Eureka! was a great place for the Roadshow to visit as the day’s activities really championed this year’s goal to encourage people to take up sport in a fun and supportive environment.
“Children and adults alike were given the chance to find out what sport works best for them and were also able to learn about all the sporting opportunities available through the range of clubs and facilities that exist in Yorkshire.
“We’re really pleased the Roadshow visited our region once again as we plan and look forward to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games – an event that is inspiring so many people to take up sport professionally or just for fun.”
Leigh-Anne Stradeski, Director of Eureka!, said: “Eureka! is a fantastic place where learning is fun and involves active play. This month, in addition to all of our great indoor galleries and activities, we’ve had the Eureka! Beach outdoors which proved to be great fun for all the family.
“We're delighted to have collaborated with Sport England and London 2012 to get people inspired about the Olympics and sport in general. We hope that families enjoyed the day of games and activity, as well as finding out all they can about London 2012 and maybe even finding the inspiration to get involved themselves.”
Martin Havenhand, Executive Chair of the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games, said: “It really has been fantastic to have the London 2012 Roadshow in the region and it sends a strong message that 2012 will be a Games for the whole of the UK, not just for London. A major part of the Yorkshire Gold strategy for the 2012 Games is about Putting Sport Centrestage and Healthy, Cohesive Communities. It is great to see the enthusiasm that young people in the region have for the Games and the wider Olympic ethos of taking part.”
Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, commented: “London 2012 will be a nationwide Games and the Roadshow is the first part of our pledge to involve everyone the length and breadth of the UK towards, and including, 2012.
“I am delighted that the Roadshow has been able to visit Yorkshire to demonstrate first hand how this is being undertaken and get the local community involved. We want to encourage young people to develop their sporting ability, to achieve something for themselves or to inspire others to unearth their own talents. Visiting the London 2012 Roadshow has been a great first step to accomplishing this.”
The Roadshow was organised by the London 2012 Organising Committee, Sport England, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), West Yorkshire Sport, Calderdale Council, the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games and the National Lottery.
-ENDS-
Issued by Robson Brown on behalf of Sport England Yorkshire
For further information, please contact:
Lisa Ingledew, with Robson Brown, at 0191 244 6685, lisai@robson-brown.co.uk. or
Ruth Lognonne, with Robson Brown, at 0191 244 6637, ruthl@robson-brown.co.uk