THE 2012 Olympics may still be 609 days away but Cumbria is already going for gold as the county aims to make the most of the nation’s biggest sporting occasion.


That was the message from the Be Inspired Cumbria 2012 Conference at Kendal College today as the area’s governing, sporting and cultural bodies came together to discuss the potential benefits to the county.

Drawing on the Olympic ethos of participation, Cumbrians are being urged to get involved in a range of programmes inspired by the forthcoming London Olympics.

Despite the country being in the grip of an economic downturn with budget cuts being made across the board, the area’s leading bodies believe the funding will remain in place, giving the area the chance to prosper long after the Games finish.

North West co-ordinator Rob Young from the North West Development Agency said: “We have a really enthusiastic group of people who are really keen to make the best of it, whether that be through sport, education or the cultural olympiad.

“We face big challenges ahead but we want to ask people to ask how can 2012 help them deliver their priorities and use the Olympic and Paralympic values to sustain learning.”

Leading the way culturally is the Lakes Alive project which has gone from strength to strength in the last three years, bringing in more than £3 million to Cumbria.

A succession of 34 outdoor art events have been held involving 150,000 people and despite cuts to the culture and sport budget, director of Kendal Arts International, Julie Tait, who leads Lakes Alive, believes the county is in line for a spectacle in 2012.

She said: “We are really proud of Cumbria and the North West for being out in front with the Olympics. We have become known nationally and internationally and we have great ways of connecting London with Cumbria.

"Next year we will have a massive celebration to mark the one year countdown to the Games and we are taking the successful ‘Banquet’ from Cockermouth out around the county.

"Mintfest will return and we are hoping to expand Team Lakes Alive from the 45 people currently, to 100 by 2012.”

Mr Young explained more than 1,600 schools across the region had joined the Get Set Network - which offers lots of fantastic Olympic opportunities - including trips around the Olympic park and earlier access to tickets and competitions - and 260 companies had won 346 Games related contracts - 16 of which came from Cumbria.

He said 240,000 volunteer applications had been received with just 70,000 spots available and 8,000 would be involved in the Olympic torch relay - with route details to be revealed in February 2011.

Coun Brendan Jameson, chairman of the Cumbria Steering Group signed a non-disclosure form on the route but said: “It will be wonderful” which leaves much to the imagination.

Visitors were joined by guest speakers Martin Green, head of ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics, and Ben Helfgott, who provided much inspiration to the audience.

Mr Green explained how the opening and closing ceremonies were coming together, bringing the best of British culture and designers to the world stage, while Mr Helfgott gave a touching speech about his journey from concentration camps in the 1940s through to Olympic stardom in the 1950s as a weightlifter.

Closing the meeting, Coun Jameson added: “The Olympics is all about living your dream despite what the country is going through and we must never forget our dreams.

"We need to do the best for the people of Cumbria and they deserve the best. We must show what Cumbria has to offer.

"The main message is to do the best for yourself and help others do the best they can for themselves and that is why Cumbria is ahead of the game.”

* For information on the Get Set and Inspire programmes, visit the website below.