O L Y M P I C S

cONTENTS

cLeaving a lasting legacy from London 2012 incommunities throughout the UK................1

Our approach and values................4

Case Studies................10

The Big Sing................11

The Experience of a Young Producer................13Somewhereto_ rap and perform................15

The Cultural Legacy of London 2012

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By 2012, it will be precisely 100 years since the first official commitment topresenting cultural and artistic activity alongside sport as a core dimension of theOlympic hosting process.

This centenary provides a useful moment to reflect on what culture has brought to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In particular, theUK has attempted to overcome past challenges by supporting a cultural programme that makes the most of the build-up and aftermath of27 days of world-class sport in 2012, so that the Olympiad are not only about constructing venues, but also constructing a lasting creativedialogue with communities throughout the country. This is the aim of the Legacy Trust.Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity that is creating a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games.

Leaving a lastinglegacy from London2012 in communitiesthroughout the UK

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We are a Principal Funder of the Cultural

Olympiad and London 2012 Festival, and we have16 programmes with over 100 arts, sports andeducation projects currently taking place across theUK. From Stirling to Swansea and Belfast toBrighton, our projects are helping to build a lastinglegacy from the Games in communities across thecountry.Legacy Trust UK was set up in 2007 to supportcommunities and organisations across the UK tocreate projects that celebrate London 2012 in a waythat is relevant to them and which will leave alasting legacy. We fund 16 programmes with over100 arts, sports and education projects currentlytaking place across the UK.

AIMS

Our projects are very wide-ranging, but all sharethree key aims:

• To unite culture, sport and education, in line withthe values and vision of the Olympic and ParalympicGames• To make a lasting difference beyond 2012 for allthose involved• To be grassroots projects, often small in scale, andunite communities of interest at local and regionallevel

Legacy Trust UK has allocated £40 million fundingthrough twelve regional and four nationalprogrammes. Our funding is provided by the BigLottery Fund (£29 million), Department for CultureMedia and Sport (£6 million for UK School Games)and Arts Council England (£5 million).Since 2008, our projects have gone from strength tostrength, and have so far reached audiences of 4.5million, directly engaged over 500,000 children andyoung people, worked with over 15,000 volunteers and created an economic impact of £35 million.

“The UK School Games is aunique opportunity foreveryone to see how muchyoung sporting talent wehave in the UK.”

Jason Gardener, World Indoor Sprint

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The Trust is a Principal Funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. All ofour cultural projects have been part of the Cultural Olympiad and many have also beenpart of the London 2012 Festival.

"The UK School Games is the closest experiencethese youngsters are going to get to what itwould be like to take part in major competitionssuch as the Commonwealth Games or theOlympics."

Darren Campbell, Gold Medallist at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics Games – 4x100m relay

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Ourapproach and values

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MISSION

to support a wide range ofinnovative cultural andsporting activities for all,which celebrate the London2012 Olympic andParalympic Games and toleave a lasting legacy incommunities throughoutthe United Kingdom.

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Our mission is:

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APPROACH

We have a distinctive approach that isreflected by:

our fully-independent status

our mission: the legacy of the London 2012Games

our ‘no frontiers’ mentality: we cross thetraditional boundaries between, for example,sport and the arts, to create genuinely joined-upinitiatives

our networks of funders and fully-representativeRegional Advisory Groups, who ensure that ourprogrammes reflect regional and localcircumstances.

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VALUES We are committed to achieving UK wide coverage

for our programmes, and to reaching diversecommunities.

These goals can only be achieved throughpartnerships and joint action, and through listeningto, and learning from, the wide range of interestedorganisations and individuals throughout thecountry.

We are fully committed to the following principles inour grant making, and we require all of our fundedprogrammes to demonstrate how these principlesare central to their approach:

Promoting accessibilityPromoting participationPromoting equality of opportunityPromoting inclusive communitiesReducing disadvantage and exclusion

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PromotingaccessibilityWe believe that accessibleservices are those that peoplecan use relatively easily andinexpensively, and that aresensitive to the different needsand cultures of the people usingthem.

Valuing culturaldiversityWe value cultural diversity byrecognising that people havedifferent needs, beliefs, valuesand abilities and that thosedifferences need to be bothrespected and promoted. Werecognise that having a diversepublic face can help us build trustand confidence among thevaried communities we seek tofund. A diverse workforce canalso provide a richer mix of ideasand talents. We also believe weare more efficient and effectivewhen our decision-makingstructures are reflective of thediverse views of society."We want to give as manychildren as possible a platform toshare their vision with the worldand to showcase their creativitythrough the Tate Movie Project."Jane Burton, Tate Movie ProjectDirector

Promoting participationOur policies, processes and programmes must be developed on the basis of real need. This means thatthe people who will be affected by them should be involved in their development. We know that thereare groups that are traditionally under-represented in consultation processes. We commit to working inpartnership with those groups to establish structures that will help them to take a more active role inshaping the work that we do. In this way we will be able to encourage participation, openness andhonesty.

Reducing disadvantage and exclusionWe will fund initiatives that deal with the causes of disadvantage and exclusion, and target our moneyon initiatives that promote inclusion of groups at greatest risk of being disadvantaged and excluded.Our understanding of what “disadvantaged” and “excluded” mean will take into account such factorsas people’s experience of discrimination.

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Promotingequality ofopportunityWe recognise that some groupscommonly experience pooreraccess to employment, have fewertraining opportunities and areunder-represented in theworkforce, particularly at seniorlevel. In addition, we know that notall groups have the same access toservices and their experiences ofreceiving services may be poorer.We believe that in order to level theplaying field we may need to treatpeople differently to help themhave the same chance to take partin employment and serviceopportunities.

Promoting inclusivecommunitiesWe believe a cohesive communityis one where people feel theybelong, where their lives areappreciated and valued, peoplehave similar life opportunities andstrong and positive relationshipsdevelop between people who arefrom different backgrounds.

These young people are our future aspiring athletes andpotentially our future Olympians, and this event is anamazing opportunity for these young athletes to competeon a much bigger scale than some of them are used to.

Amy Williams, Gold Medallist at the Vancouver 2010Winter Olympic Games – Skeleton Bob

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CaseStudies

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BigSing

The

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On 21st June 2011 at Watergate Bay, Cornwall, over 300 participantsand 400 attendees took part in The Big Sing. The Works and KEAP hadworked together on a similar event in 2010 and wanted to expand thisevent for 2011, bringing in new elements of dance and beachworkshops.

Seven primary schools had each participated in two half-day danceworkshops in advance of the main event. On the day, in dance, art,film-making and beach safety workshops and performed their pieces toeach other. The evening saw nine choirs from across Cornwall, and onebrass band, performing songs from their own repertoire to a delightedcrowd and Cornwall Youth Dance Company performed two dancepieces specifically commissioned for The Big Sing. The eveningculminated in a massed choir and audience singing of Nick Darke’s‘The Lobster Song’ and Trelawney.

All of the dance activity was very successful and the performances wereenjoyed by the audience, and the experience of creating the dance andperforming on the beach produced dance of a very high standard. Thiswas the first time since 2004 that Watergate Bay Hotel had becomeinvolved in a non-profit, community event and it really helped themdeliver on their corporate social responsibility agenda.The event engaged with community with volunteers helping out on theday with stewarding, assisting in workshops and with the publiccollection.

“It was a fantastic experienceto make and perform in suchan amazing place, it felt likethe space was a part of thepiece. There was a greatatmosphere from the crowd”

Big Sing Participant

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AYoung Producer

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Blaze is an ambitious youth-led culture and sport programme for Lancashire,Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, part of WE PLAY, a Legacy Trust UK fundedinitiative. Liam Roseden is one of many participants who have been involved inBlaze projects.

Liam is a member of the Fuse Youth Theatre Group in Nelson, Lancashire wherehe takes part in youth theatre and assists with sessions for younger children. Inhis spare time, Liam writes stories and scripts and has an interest in working inthe creative arts. He’s just started studying for his GCSEs, and eventually wantsto be the first member of his family to go to university.In summer 2010 Liam took part in The Big Game. This project saw Fuse workwith artist Tom Russotti, who came over from New York as an artist in residence,supporting the group to develop a sports day themed piece of interactiveperformance.

Members of the group were involved as ‘young producers’, interviewing andselecting the artist via a Skype video link, devising the piece, creating charactersand costumes, and making decisions about venues, marketing and planning.Liam has also worked with Blaze as an ambassador, speaking about The BigGame at the Blaze launch event and representing Blaze at other events. Liamfeels that Blaze is improving his understanding of careers and helping todevelop the skills he will need in the future: “It’s giving us opportunities already– we had the interviewing, talking with the artists we were going to work with,discussing what we were going to do. So it has actually trained us for thebusiness world out there already, because that’s what artists have to do everyday.” Liam will continue working with Blaze between now and 2012.

“We feel so positive becausewe never had anything likethis, so it just feels like amassive step forward – thankyou.”

Charlie, somewhereto_ participant

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RapSomewhereto_

Performand

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Somewhereto_ is a nationwide project to help young people find the space theyneed to do the things they love within sport, culture and the arts. Their aim is tohelp improve the lives of thousands of young people and create thousands ofsuccess stories, today and in the future. This is Mark and Charlie’s story.

Mark met with regional coordinators Neil and Michele when they visitedSunderland College’s Usworth site. Mark wanted somewhereto_ rehearse hismusical style of rapping along with his friend Charlie. As he lived in Washingtonin Sunderland, and prior contact had been made with the Arts Centre there,they were contacted to see if they would be interested in supporting Mark withhis somewhereto_ passion. They were more than happy to accommodate, andMark, together with Charlie, went to the Arts Centre for an introduction – theywere so happy with the facilities that they decided to stay for the whole nightand now attend weekly.

Three weeks later Neil and Michele went back to meet with Mark and Charlie -they had recorded their first track! Their group name is Star Siblings. The duoperformed in front of 500 people at NE Generation’s Urban Youth Games eventearlier this August, and another young person currently working withsomewhereto_, Joss, filmed the event (see ‘somewereto_ film’ case study).Charlie said of their experiences: ‘It was more than we had hoped for, it wasunreal. Me and Mark have decided for definite that we are going over to theArts Centre on a regular basis and maybe get a bit more involved in what’sgoing on. We feel so positive because we never had anything like this, so it justfeels like a massive step forward – thank you.’

“We feel so positive becausewe never had anything likethis, so it just feels like amassive step forward – thankyou.”

Charlie, somewhereto_ participant

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The Cultural Legacy

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The CulturalLegacy ofLondon2012With the establishment of a CulturalOlympiad, there is an opportunity to expandthe legacy of the Games and demonstratethat the Olympics and Paralympics haveprovided a platform for far more than justthe advancement of elite sport or economicregeneration.

When historians look back at these Games,they will see the most extensive commitmentto nationalise an event that is oftenconsidered city-based. This may have beenthe most important way in which London2012 has contributed to keeping theOlympic movement ‘moving’, as claimed inits original bid vision for the CulturalOlympiad. The work has committed todeveloping a common vision that is informedby local populations and thus relevant to aspecific community at a specific time, whileconnecting with the universal and timelessaspirations of a world class event embeddedin a genuinely international network andover 120 years of history.

In closing, it is salient to note that, in a time of cuts across all public sectordepartments within the UK, the long term legacy and contribution of art andculture to wider economic and social agendas cannot easily be overlookedor misunderstood. In part this is because understanding the broader culturaleconomy that underpins Britain’s brand as a world-class creative nation isconsidered beyond simple economic indicators. With this report, there canbe no question that the Cultural Olympiad has provided a lasting platformfor culture and arts programming while advancing complex cross-sector andUK-wide collaborations.

“The impact of such interactionswill be felt for years to come.”

Lord Coe

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