News

www.essexlegacy.org/hadleigh-farm

Friday 02 July: Essex County Council and its partners are pleased to announce that plans for the Olympic Mountain Bike Event have been fully approved and that the London 2012 Olympic Games will have a physical presence in Essex.

Plans were resolved for approval by the Castle Point Borough Council Planning Committee on the 22nd of June and referred to the Secretary of State for consideration, before the final decision was issued this week.

The recent announcement is the latest development of the Essex Olympic story, which began in 2008 with the announcement of Hadleigh Farm being selected as the preferred venue.

Local schools, businesses and residents are already engaging in initiatives which are bringing the benefits of hosting the London 2012 Games to Hadleigh:

Two local Specialist Colleges, The Deanes School and Appleton School, have been accepted into London 2012’s ‘Get Set’ educational programme, having demonstrated how they have used the Olympic and Paralympic values such as determination, respect and equality to support achievement in their schools.

A number of local businesses have successfully registered on the London Games procurement database, enabling them to compete for London 2012 Games-related contracts.

And in celebration of Open Weekend a number of events will be staged in Hadleigh as part of national festivities which celebrate the countdown to the start of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This series of exciting sporting, arts and cultural challenges is taking place across the UK from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 July.

On 24 July visitors will have the opportunity to rise to the Hadleigh Great Navigation Challenge, with orienteering and geo-caching in the Country Park. The Salvation Army will also be inviting the local community to contribute a heritage exhibition, capturing and showcasing the rich and varied history of the area, to be held between 23 and 25 July at Hadleigh Farm, where people will also have the opportunity to enjoy the Rare Breeds Farm and Tea Rooms.

Councillor Stephen Castle, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for the London 2012 Games has welcomed the news, praising the hard work of Essex County Council officers and partners involved: “This is the announcement we have been waiting for. It is essentially the starting gun for work to now begin on making the Essex dream a reality – to not only host a world class London 2012 Olympic discipline, but also provide a long lasting, meaningful legacy.

“I want to thank the Hadleigh residents and businesses for their contributions in shaping the final plan, and look forward to seeing the course take shape.”

Major John Warner, The Salvation Army’s project manager, said
"We look forward to continuing to work with the Hadleigh community, Essex County Council and LOCOG to create a really special Olympic venue, and a lasting and beneficial legacy to be enjoyed by many thousands of people in the future. This is a very exciting time for all concerned!'

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: “Hadleigh Farm will be a fantastic venue for the London 2012 Games. Led by Essex County Council, the partners for the venue have all contributed a tremendous amount of work to ensure the planning application safeguards Hadleigh’s stunning natural environment whilst still testing the skills of the best competitors in the world.”

It is anticipated that a programme of works to create the course will begin imminently. Newsletters will be distributed as soon as possible to residents and businesses in the local area, whilst up to date information on progress at Hadleigh Farm and other London 2012 Games inspired activities can be viewed at www.essexlegacy.org/hadleigh-farm

where you can also register for automatic updates.
 

Click here to read more

For more information contact Karen Yates in Communications on 01245 434246 or email karen.yates@essex.gov.uk
 

1. Essex County Council, The Salvation Army, Castle Point Borough Council and Southend on Sea Borough Council are together co-ordinating on the delivery of the Hadleigh Farm Mountain Biking event.

Essex County Council recognised at an early stage that local government would have a significant role to play in the delivery of a legacy from the London 2012 Games, in sport and also education, culture, tourism, volunteering and economic regeneration. This year it has been awarded Beacon status for its outstanding work in using the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to encourage communities to be more active.

Initiatives already underway include the Team Essex Sporting Ambassador Awards, an annual funding award to help support potential Olympians across the County; Carrying the Flame, a cross-curricular resource providing Olympics-inspired learning ideas and stimulus and Compete for …, a service for local suppliers enabling them to find out about the business opportunities resulting from the London 2012 Games.

2. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for preparing and staging the 2012 Games. It is based in Canary Wharf along with the Olympic Delivery Authority which is responsible for the venue build programme and infrastructure development.

LOCOG will deliver the best possible Olympic and Paralympic Games experience for everyone involved, inspiring people to join in and enabling a real legacy. LOCOG will manage most of the contracts for services to deliver and run the sporting events. Major procurement for Games time goods and services has started this year.

As well as staging the 2012 Games, LOCOG will also be responsible for staging a series of test events in the year before the Games; selling tickets; recruiting and training volunteers; and overseeing the four year Cultural Olympiad leading up to the Games.

www.london2012.com

3. The Salvation Army (registered charity numbers 214779, 215174, SC009359, SC037691 and CHY6399) is an international Christian church and registered charity working in 121 countries worldwide and is one of the largest, most diverse providers of social welfare in the world.

The Salvation Army first bought land at Hadleigh in 1890, the same year that its founder William Booth published In Darkest England and the Way Out, in which he outlined his Christian vision not just to help people in need but to intervene and provide training and opportunities to prevent people falling into need. Hadleigh Farm was central to that mission providing a place of opportunity and training for people wishing to escape urban poverty.

Today, The Salvation Army still owns around 800 acres of land in Hadleigh and still uses that land to benefit individuals and the wider community. The Hadleigh Training Centre offers education and training for people struggling to gain skills and return to work, the Farm rears organic beef and harvests crops of the highest quality and the Rare Breeds Centre, which started out from a desire to preserve endangered farm animals, attracts nearly 50,000 visitors a year. For more information visit the website  www.salvationarmy.org.uk