Olympic Gold comes to the North West

I’ve just come back from one of the most interesting and dynamic presentations I’ve been lucky enough to attend in a long time, held at (one of) Manchester’s finest Theatre’s of Dreams, Old Trafford Football Ground.

As a member of Marketing Manchester, I was invited to attend a session about the forthcoming 2012 Olympics and the impact the games will have across the North West region.

With less than 200 days to go now until the Olympic opening ceremony which takes place in London on 27^th July, the presentation was part of a nationwide series of events taking place around the UK, to highlight the regional benefits of the games and help maximise their economic, sporting and social legacy. Whilst the main games are taking place in London, a number of high profile events are taking place around the UK and Manchester is hosting much of the football competition during the games.

Chaired by Andrew Stokes, CEO Marketing Manchester, guest speakers included the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Culture and Olympics (himself a qualified level 9 FA referee) and James Berresford, Chief Executive Visit England, together with Ruth McKenzie, Director of the Cultural Olympiad.

And if you thought the Olympics was just about sport and winning medals well … think again. The London games are not only about sport and medals but are also the start of a huge social and cultural programme of events taking place around the UK in the coming months and years.

Alongside the games, there is running what can only be described as a Cultural Olympiad for all to get involved in. Our government want each and every one of us to get involved. This really is a unique moment in time and the first time the UK has hosted the games since 1948 and we’re all being encouraged to get involved at whatever level.

For those who don’t naturally gravitate to the sports field (that’s me), then do at the very least get out there and watch the Olympic torch pass through your neighbourhood. The Olympic Torch starts its journey on 19^th May and is going to visit over 1000 local communities. With 70 overnight stops en-route to the opening ceremony, the torch will be in the North West for 7 nights that include stops in Chester (29/05), Bolton (31/05), Liverpool (01/06), the Isle of Man (02/06), Windermere (21/06), Blackpool (22/06) and Manchester (23/06). Events celebrating this will be taking place in each of these venues but the torch isn’t just going to big cities – it’s also going to be carried through some tiny rural communities and visiting the Highlands and Islands. The Paralympic torch relay takes place from 24-27 August and on its route takes in the major cities of London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff. And for anyone interested in getting involved in the Olympics, Sainsbury’s have just opened their volunteer programme and other large sponsors including Lloyds and BT are also running similar programmes.

The event on 21^st June in Windermere “Lakes Alive” also marks the launch of the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad, a festival of over 10,000 events taking place throughout the country and the largest cultural programme of any Olympics in history. Running until early September, there are lots of activities taking place in the North West. In Manchester the city’s many art galleries, including the Whitworth, Gallery of Costume and Manchester Art Gallery, are hosting an exhibition called “We Face Forward: Art From West Africa Today”, whilst down the road, Liverpool hosts the excellent Dada festival, a special festival for disabled and deaf artists. Further north in Windermere, the majestic lake is home to what will be a truly spectacular light, firework and music show. There’s more light north of the border, with a special light show from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and a new art installation running the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall (84 miles!).

There’s also going to be a great fire spectacular at Stonehenge and to my utter delight two of my personal standout highlights of last year’s brilliant Manchester International Festival, the evocative Damon Alban opera “Dr Dee” and the extremely terrifying “Crash of the Elysium” (Dr Who), are also being included in Cultural Olympiad. So even if sport isn’t your thing there’s going to be loads of other things to see and get involved with this summer and much of it for free too.

But what does this mean for the North West? Well there are over 22 countries that are using the North West as a pre-Olympic training ground. We have the Australian swimming team, the USA Basketball team, Brazilian paralympians and all 15 of the pacific region nations training right here on our doorstep, using our excellent sporting facilities, one of the great legacies of the Commonwealth Games (2002) which Manchester hosted. There are over 250 companies in the region who have been awarded Olympic contracts, all taking a share of the £160m that’s been brought to the region. North West businesses involved range from manufacturing companies through to engineering outfits. One of the repeated comments of the morning was that the North West has grabbed this opportunity with open arms and embraced the chance for new business and job creation.

It’s impossible to underestimate the scale of what is going to happen with these Olympic Games but it is estimated that over 4bn people (that’s more than half of the world’s population) will watch the opening ceremony. Probably the single biggest difference between these games and every other previous Olympiad, is that these games really will be the first truly global ‘digital’ games. Most of us use one form or another of social networking, whether for business or pleasure and social networking sites are now gearing themselves up for the huge surge in expected use during the games, when people will be commentating and interacting in real time about what they are watching on their TV and computer screens. Whilst the digital age allows all of us to be armchair journalists, it’s good to know that the UK is still expecting to host over 40,000 journalists from across the globe, not only reporting on the games, but also the state of our nation and what they find here.

To capitalise on the games, Visit England is launching a £100m advertising campaign. Running over the next 3 years the campaign is designed to encourage people living overseas to visit our shores and to encourage those of us who are lucky enough to already live here, to get out and discover our towns, cities, coast and countryside and take a holiday here at home. The UK is the 6^th most visited country in the world and there few other countries that can boast such a rich and diverse heritage and cultural offering. The campaign, which will run on TV from February 2012 is designed to make everyone realise how GREAT Britain is. The eyes of the world will be watching the UK during 2012 and Visit England want all of us to use the opportunity the Olympics present to encourage our friends and family living abroad to visit the UK.

Did I mention sport? Well there’s lots of sport too. After the Olympics are over, London hosts the Paralympic Games and already up and running is a sports project- The Schools Games – which over half the schools in the country have signed up to, with the majority offering Paralympics sports for disabled children. A great chance for all children to get really involved and it’s good to hear that in the North West over 76% of schools have already signed up.  There is a huge sporting tradition in this region with premier football, rugby, cricket and cycling taking place week in week out, so we shouldn’t really be surprised that the children of this region want to get involved.

As Jeremy Hunt concluded “the London 2012 Olympics will be 6 weeks of extraordinary fun that will create a legacy for many years to come”.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for this summer. I’ve already bought myself a gold chocolate medal which, if I manage not to consume between now and the games, I’ll wear as a necklace to show my support for the fantastic event that’s coming to our shores. So, get out there, get involved and above all enjoy the games!

Helen

Reflecting on Media City and Salford Quays

I’ve just returned from a remarkable trip to have a look round Media City at Salford Quays, courtesy of BBC North and my goodness me – WOW! The place is amazing.

As someone with a love of history, I know quite a lot about the history of Salford Quays and what this place used to be (once the 4^th largest inland port in the world – yes, its 30 miles from the sea) and home to 100,000 docker’s on a daily basis), it’s quite stupefying to see how the area has been redeveloped into a 21^st Century Media City.

Home now to the BBC North, production from the state of the art studios includes Radio 5 live, BBC Sport, BBC Children and a fantastic new concert hall for BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

But Media City is more than just the BBC – the whole area, sitting on the side of the Manchester Ship Canal is also home to Salford University, a number of independent film and production companies and one of Manchester’s most famous exports “Coronation Street” is shortly relocating – the famous cobbles of Weatherfield will soon be found down by the Ship Canal!

There’s a fantastic feeling about the place, everything is admittedly shiny and new, but Media City has a different kind of appeal. For someone who is a confirmed city centre dweller, what struck me most aside of the great buildings and facilities is the sense of space and openness – not to mention the wonderful Autumnal sunset I was lucky enough to catch whilst there.

If you haven’t been down to Salford Quays for a while, then take a trip out there – it’s only a 10 minute tram ride from middle of Manchester or easily accessible from M62 with plenty of parking.  And if you do visit, aside of having a look round Media City and all the new development, allow yourself some time to go and visit some of the other established attractions including the Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North. I have a liking for IWMN – Daniel Libeskind designed, to reflect the 3 theatres of war (earth, sea and air), not only is the museum home to an array of artefacts and changing exhibitions, but what it does (and does brilliantly) is show the effects of war on everyday and  ordinary lives through the 20^th Century. Memorable, moving and a must!

I’d love to know what your thoughts are on Media City and the changing face of the Quays, so please do share them. You can email me at helen@thesavvypartnership.co.uk

Thanks, Helen.

Looking for something different to do for Christmas?

If you’re looking for something different to do in the run up to Christmas then why not take a tour up the famous Clock Tower at Manchester Town Hall?

Previously closed to the public, the historic Clock Tower is being opened up for just 6 weeks from 17^th November through to 22^nd December. This is a unique opportunity to see Manchester and beyond as you will never have seen it before.

The Clock Tower Tours are being lead by professional Manchester Blue and Green Badge Guides, who will not only guide you up the 136 steps to the top, but deliver some insights on this most iconic and historic building along the way.  On the way to the top you’ll be able to visit the bell room, the mechanics room (think of the inside of a watch – only much much bigger!) and stand behind the 4 Clock faces. The tour ends on top of the tower next to Great Abel, the huge 8 ton bell named after Manchester Lord Mayor Abel Heywood. Up here you’ll be able to walk around the Clock Tower and take in the panoramic views across the City, Pennines and the Cheshire Plain. Just don’t forget to bring a camera!

Designed by Liverpudlian architect Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1877, Manchester Town Hall is regarded as the second most important Grade I listed building in England. Still home today to Manchester City Council, the building houses a number of local government departments whilst the magnificent state rooms on the first floor regularly house events and are among the most popular of wedding venues in the North West! The Town Hall is also a famous ‘Body Double’ for the Houses of Parliament in London.

To book a Clock Tower tour just call 0161 234 4433, or pop into Manchester Town Hall and book at the main reception desk. Tours take place every day at 1pm, 2.30pm, 4pm. 5.30pm and 7pm. Tickets cost just £7.50. (*Children under 12 not allowed and those aged 12-16 must be accompanied by an adult).