News

With just over two years to go before the start of the London 2012 Games, Essex County Council has encouraged local clubs and community groups to get involved with celebrating the countdown. 

Following an invitation to apply for funds earlier in the year, the Essex Legacy from the 2012 Games team has awarded 19 community groups a small grant to help support an Open Weekend event in their local area that happened Friday 23 to Sunday 25 July and themed ‘set a challenge’. The successful applicants and their projects were:

• Thorne Road Project – opening Ceremony Kelvedon Youth Forum Braintree Kelvedon 25 Formal opening of ball games area including come and try netball, basketball demo
• The 2km Olympic Challenge White Colne PC Braintree White Colne Village Hall 24 2km Olympic challenge for 2k run or walk. Start and finish at village hall. I spy nature sheet for walk. Also come and try petanque, table tennis, basketball, beat the goalie. Evening event including petanque, darts and table top sports quiz
• Map Reading Challenge Havering and South Essex Orienteering Club Castle Point Hadleigh Castle CP 24 Short guided walks introducing maps and map reading. Introductory orienteering course to follow after walk. Micro Orienteering course with Olympic theme for young and young at heart
• Ramsdens Got Tennis Talent South Hanningfield TC Chelmsford Ramsden Heath Tennis Club 24 Introduce tennis to families that have not experienced the game. Fun Challenge with various tennis zones that challenge the participant and once mastered move onto the next.
• Gt Waltham Mini Olympics and Cycling Initaitive Event Day Gt Waltham PC Chelmsford Gt Waltham Rec/ Gt Waltham School 23 and 24 23rd – Mini Olympics event am multi sport activities with competitive events in afternoon 24th – Cycling Day led ride and various other activities going on during the day
• Archery Taster Day Colchester Archery Club, Colchester
• Cycle fun day Interbike Colchester Marks Tey
• Kwik Cricket and Youth Cricket Fun Day Abberton and District CC Colchester
• Challenge yourself to try something new at Tiptree Sports Centre, Come and try events to include: mobile skatepark, climbing wall, trampolining, badminton, squash, football
• Community Walk around Mersea Island Peldon VHMC Colchester Mersea Island 25 Community Walk around Mersea Island (14 miles)
• Come and Try Dinghy and Sailing ESSA Epping Central Lagoon, Nazeing
• African Drumming and Dance Efua Sey Cultural Academy Harlow
• Rochford District Fun Day Activerochford-2012 treasure hunt. Sports and culture activities including judo, archery, swimming, handball, circus skills and design a mascot
• Family Cricket Event Canewdon PC Rochford Canewdon Recreation Ground 24 Cricket event and competition for adults and children including barbeque
• Roller Hockey Come and Try Colchester Roller Hockey Club Tendring Manningtree Sports Centre 24 3 come and try sessions provided targeting U11’s ladies and rural participants
• Mad Olympics Mad About Theatre Company Tendring Seafront Greens Spaces / Holland Haven 25 Afternoon of Mad sports, late for school races, skipping races, wheelbarrow races, sack races, three legged races, relays. Picnic with refreshments and trophies
• Village Mini Olympics Arlesford Colnes Rangers FC Tendring Recreation Field, Arlesford 25 Fun challenging sporting events with other side shows and lunch aimed at 8 – 15 years old
• Jaylympics Jaywick Forum Tendring Jaywick 25 Community sports day for all ages. Activities include: walks, cycling, football, aerobics, yoga, mini athletics, trampoline, beach games, watersports. Disability and the very young activities as well. Displays also and lots of club involvement
• High Easter Summer Walk High Easter PC Uttlesford High Easter 25 Coach to take people out of village and drop off then walk back to High Easter.

Essex staged over 40 exciting sporting, arts and cultural events to do just that, creating the opportunity for everyone to engage in new and different activities. 

Cllr Stephen Castle, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education and the 2012 Games said:
‘The Open Weekend celebrations provide a great opportunity for all the communities of Essex to be involved in the run up to the 2012 Games. By providing small grants to groups across the county, we can offer the chance for people to participate in sports and physical activities in their local area‘.

Seb Coe Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) said:

‘Open Weekend will lead the nation into the two-year countdown to the start of the London 2012 Games, with new personal bests being set right across the UK’.

For more information about London 2012 Open weekend please click here