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With less that two years to go until the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games begin, an overwhelming majority of Essex residents are positive about the 2012 Olympic Games coming to the UK, and believe that the benefits will be felt across the entire country, according to an independent research study recently commissioned by Essex County Council.

As Essex County Council begins work on the Olympic Venue at The Salvation Army's Hadleigh Farm, where the Olympic Mountain Bike events will be held, the survey of over 1000 residents from across the county was carried out to understand residents’ expectations for a lasting legacy from the 2012 Games both in Hadleigh and acrossRe the County. The survey was conducted by Qa Research.

Three quarters of residents (76%) surveyed said that they are happy about the UK hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, with eight in 10 people (81%) saying they are happy that Essex will be a host county.

The majority of residents surveyed (79%) also said that they are confident that Essex can host a successful Olympic event, and feel that the 2012 Games will be an opportunity to show the world that Essex is a great place to visit (70%).

Olympic-inspired activities in schools was the most popular response for what residents would like to see more of locally in the run up to the 2012 Games, followed by family fun days and opportunities to take part in sporting activities.

Residents in Hadleigh were specifically asked for their thoughts on the Olympic Mountain Biking Event, with 83% seeing it as a positive opportunity for the local area.

Hadleigh residents were also asked about what they expected the benefits of hosting the Mountain Biking Event to be. The majority feel that its legacy will have the strongest impact in inspiring young people to realise their potential (75%). Encouraging cycling as a recreational activity (73%) followed closely behind.

Essex County Council has a long standing programme of initiatives to ensure the benefits of hosting the 2012 Games are felt in Essex.

These initiatives include the Essex Carrying the Flame curriculum pack, which uses the Olympic values to engage and inspire young people in schools; the Team Essex Ambassadors Award scheme, which provides grants to top level athletes in the county who have the recognised potential to compete in the 2012 Games; and an exciting initiative linked to the Cultural Olympiad which pairs the Essex Ambassadors to artists who map the athletes’ ‘Journey to the Podium’, through art pieces which will be displayed across the county in the run up to the Games.

Essex County Councillor Stephen Castle, Cabinet Member for the 2012 Games said:

“It is extremely encouraging to see that Essex residents are feeling so positive about the 2012 Olympic Games. With less than two years to go we are focussing all our efforts on providing a long lasting, meaningful legacy for Essex across education sport, culture and volunteering and as a centre piece delivering a world class Mountain Biking venue at Hadleigh Farm”

“We want to ensure that as many residents as possible across Essex can take advantage of the unique opportunities that having the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on our doorstep will bring. We will be working with partners across the county to build up range of opportunities for residents to get involved in activities and events, as we count down to the Opening Ceremonies and gear up for the Mountain Bike Events at Hadleigh Farm.”

The study was carried out by Qa Research on behalf of Essex County Council, and was commissioned as a piece of quantitative research with local residents aged 16+ from across the county to discuss attitudes towards the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

1101 interviews with local residents were completed by telephone in accordance with a matrix by location, age and gender to ensure the sample was broadly representative of the county.

All interviews took place from 2 June to 2 July 2010.

Click here for more information about Essex's Olympic Venue, Hadleigh Farm