Brent Council’s action plan for the London 2012 Games

February 2010

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Councillor Paul LorberLeader, Brent Council

Councillor Alan MendozaLead Member for London 2012

Introduction by the Leader of the Council and the Lead Member for London 2012

In the summer of 2012 London will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, welcoming the

world to the biggest sporting event and cultural spectacular in London since the millenium.

We are delighted to introduce ‘Inspiring Brent’, Brent’s action plan for the London 2012 Games.

‘Inspiring Brent’ has been developed by Brent Council's Steering Group for the 2012 Games and

is our programme for the events.

The council actively worked to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to London,

particularly as the borough previously hosted the Games in 1948.

During 2008 we delivered a fantastic range of cultural and sporting events which coincided with the

60th anniversary of the 1948 Games in Wembley.

Over the next couple of years we will use the power of the London 2012 Games to inspire

and engage residents and businesses through exciting events that motivate stimulate and

bring about change - all of which will be delivered working with our partners and stakeholders in Brent.

Brent Council is committed to securing the maximum benefits from the London 2012

Games to create a lasting legacy for our young people, residents and local businesses.

Brent has a history of hosting world class sporting and entertainment events at Wembley

Stadium and Wembley Arena and we are committed to putting Brent on the world stage

as a leisure destination of choice.

We hope that Brent's residents, their families and our local businesses will take

advantage of and benefit from the many sporting and cultural activities being

organised and get involved - not just as spectators but as participants.

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Over the next couple of years we will use the power of theLondon 2012 Games to inspireand engage residents andbusinesses through excitingevents that motivate, stimulateand bring about change.

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� Welcoming back the Olympic Flame with theBeijing Torch Relay which was started atWembley Stadium and Arena Square on April 62008 by Sir Steven Redgrave and Brent student,Cheyenne Green.

� Three Countdown to 2012 days delivered by thecouncil in partnership with the Youth Parliament.The days were attended by young people fromBrent who had the opportunity to participate insports and cultural activities and help us deliverour 2012 actions.

� Culture 8; a West London dance, music andentertainment extravaganza was held atWembley Arena in September 2008 tocommemorate the 1908 and 1948 Games andofficially welcome the London 2012 Olympicand Paralympic Games and the UK's CulturalOlympiad. This event was awarded the coveted‘Inspire Mark’ by the London OrganisingCommittee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

� Respect festival 2008 was themed around the London 2012 Games and offered a range of activities including sports taster sessions, a wheelchair danceshowcase, the London 2012 roadshow with Olympians present to motivate and inspire young people.

� September 2008 launched the first Fun Run and Walk event at Fryent Park. The event is aimedat families and designed so they can participatetogether in physical activity.

� The healthy walks programme ran a Walk toBeijing initiative between April to September2008. Using pedometers participants walkedtheir way to Beijing in only 11,875,586 steps!

� Brent Museum launched the ‘Peoples Record’, an exhibition of Brent residents’memories and memorabilia of the 1948 Gamesdeveloped to mark the 60th anniversary of the1948 Olympics.

� Brent hosted the graduation ceremony for the Personal Best pre Games volunteering programme participants from across London which took place at Wembley Stadium and was attended by Lord Sebastian Coe and Jonathon Edwards.

� Willesden Sports Centre and Capital City Academy are featured in the official pre training camp guideprepared by the LOCOG.

Inspiring Brent

Our journey to London 2012 has seen us organise and deliver a variety of 2012 inspired activities. Our key achievements to date:

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As we move towards the Olympicand Paralympic Games we areplanning a range of 2012 inspired activities, including:

� an annual Inspiring Brent Fun Run and Walk

� volunteering opportunities across the borough

� 2012 inspired festivals

� cultural Olympiad celebrations

� young ambassador programme

� torch relay celebrations.

We are committed to securing alegacy from the London 2012 Gamesand have established the followingfive themes as priority areas:

� Young Learners

� Business and Skills

� Culture and Events

� Sport and Health

� City Operations and Sustainability.

We have set up a number of theme groups within the council with input from our partners to deliver the priorities which are set out on the following pages.

We are committed to securing a legacy from the London

2012 Games

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Young Learners

Brent Council is ensuring thatLOCOG’s key priority, for childrenand young people to benefit fromthe Games, is fully realised in Brent

Working with children’s centres, schools, andcommunity organisations, we have developed anexciting programme of activities including theBrent Inspires Award allowing young people toengage in sports, culture and creative experiences.

The young learners programme of activities hasbeen designed to use the power of the London2012 Games to inspire a new generation of youngpeople, through encouraging sports participationand healthy lifestyles and promoting the wideropportunities for education and learning,volunteering and cultural participation.

Key areas of work for the young learners group include:

� using the Brent Inspires Award to promoteawareness of the Olympic and Paralympicvalues through sporting competitions, culturalevents and informal creative learning to allyoung people

� supporting and promoting the Get Seteducation programme to schools and collegesacross the borough. Get Set is the officialLondon 2012 education programme whichprovides resources for schools

� working with Brent Youth Parliament topromote the voice of young people

� promoting citizenship in a diverse communityby ensuring the Olympic and Paralympic Games ethos and values are reflected inschools' curriculum

� opportunities to participate in 2012 learningactivities through cross-borough leagues andschool sports partnerships

� inviting local and national sports and artspersonalities to Brent schools (from varioussporting and ethnic backgrounds) as rolemodels to inspire young people

� supporting vulnerable groups to achievethrough Olympic and Paralympic inspiredlearning and activities.

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Young learners case study

Launched in September 2009, the BrentInspires Award is a virtual competitionaimed at young people up to 19 yearsof age in schools, colleges, youth groupsor clubs across the borough allowingthem to engage in sports, culture andcreative experiences.

Designed by the Young Learners Theme Group, the Brent Inspires Awards recognises the achievements of young people who participate in activities which incorporate the three Olympic values of respect,excellence, friendship and the fourParalympic values of courage,determination, inspiration and equality.

Schools, colleges, youth groups or clubs who enter the competition record their activities on the medalstable where they are eligible for either abronze, silver or gold award and at theend of the academic year they will berewarded for their achievement at anawards ceremony.

Get Set is the official London 2012education programme which providesresources for schools and an automaticbronze point for the Brent Inspires Award.

The Brent Inspires Award has beenrecognised by LOCOG as a project thatis genuinely inspired by the 2012Games and has been awarded theLondon 2012 Inspire Mark.

Brent Inspires Award will continue until July 2012.

Over the next couple of years we will use the power of the London 2012 Games

to inspire and engage residents

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Business & Skills

The London 2012 Games will offerunique opportunities for businessesacross the UK. Brent Council inpartnership with local businesssupport agencies across Brent andWest London is working to ensurethat the Games provideopportunities for local employment,skills development and businessesto secure an economic legacy forthe future.

Following a successful pilot in 2007 Brent is nowdelivering the national Personal Best volunteeringProgramme. The programme has been designed toprovide unemployed people or those who havelittle or no qualifications with a stepping stoneinto work, further employment or volunteering.

Key areas for the business, employment and skills group include:

� working with the Employer Partnership,London Business Network and Supply London to support local businesses to securetenders through the Competefor process

� building the capacity of the catering industry totrade at festivals and events for 2012 and beyond

� animating the Wembley area with sporting andcultural activities

� working with Brent business support agenciesto develop the capacity of the voluntary sectorand raise awareness of 2012 Games

� together with the third sector, develop a pool of volunteers which reflects the diversity of the borough and direct to 2012 inspired opportunities.

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working with Brent business

support agencies to develop the capacity of the

voluntary sector and raise awareness

of 2012 Games

Business skills and employment case study

The Personal Best programme is a volunteeringprogramme and has been delivered in Brent since2007. The programme is an eight week course whichoffers training and guidance in areas such asstewarding for events and is delivered by the Collegeof North West London in partnership with BrentCouncil. Participants have the opportunity to gain theexperience that mirrors some of the volunteeringskills required for the 2012 Games and receive arecognised qualification at the end of the course.

Akkinola Gabriel a Brent resident who graduated in2008 says;“It was a great experience. I got to meet new people,try different skills and tasks. I was able to work as asteward at a concert at Wembley Stadium which wasfantastic and something I enjoyed.”

Shruti Shah a Brent resident graduated in 2007 andnow works for Brent Library Service:“I enjoyed Personal Best and gained a lot. It taught memore about commitment, responsibility and to thinkabout what it is to be part of a team and aroundteamwork. Since then I enjoyed the work experienceand since then have been able to find a job as well. Iwould still like to be volunteer at the 2012 Games, itwould be a great experience”.

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Culture & Events

The Cultural Olympiad is afour year programme ofcultural activitiescelebrating the UK as aglobal nation in the leadup to the 2012 Games.

Brent Council will use the CulturalOlympiad as a catalyst to celebratethe rich diversity of the boroughproviding a platform to explore andshowcase our cultural heritage.

Working with a range of partners,including boroughs across WestLondon, local artists, culturalorganisations, voluntary groups andnational arts bodies, the programmewill involve all our diversecommunities in an ongoingcelebration of our multiculturalheritage. The plans build on theopportunities brought about byWembley’s regeneration to create anew tourism destination withinBrent and build capacity withincreative industries to benefit fromeconomic regeneration across Brent.

Key areas for the culture and events group include:

� securing a cultural legacy and build lastingpartnerships nationally and internationallyfrom engagement with the Cultural Olympiad

� maximising the potential of our uniquediversity to develop West London Story - awide ranging programme of cultural activitiescelebrating the London 2012 Games

� supporting and mentoring artists to realise theirpotential through the West London Story

� developing our festivals programme to includeOlympic and Paralympic inspired themes

� developing a programme of activities acrossBrent Library Services inspired by the London2012 Games

� using the power of Paralympic Games to engageand inspire the disabled community to participatein arts and culture across the borough

� developing our museum and archive tocelebrate Brent’s heritage and involvement inthe 1948 and 2012 Games

� working with our West London boroughpartners to deliver joint events allowingresidents to celebrate the London 2012 Games

� animating our civic spaces for the enjoymentand use of all our communities

� developing the capacity of artists to showcase theirtalent to secure a legacy from the 2012 Games

use the Cultural Olympiad as a catalyst to celebrate the rich diversity of the borough and

showcase our cultural heritage

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Culture and events case study

In September 2008 Brent played host to the WestLondon wide Culture 8 event; a dance, music andentertainment extravaganza to celebrate the 1908and 1948 Games and officially welcome the London2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the UK'sCultural Olympiad.

The event took place in Wembley where over 400performers from across West London came togetherto deliver a stunning showcase of non-stop globalmusic, dance, sports, circus and street entertainment,which kicked off the UK's Cultural Olympiad.

Legendary singer Jazzie B from Soul II Soul headlined the show at Wembley Arena and the audience were treated to a range of cultural experiences such as hip hop,bollywood, flamenco, ballet and carnival dance.

Culture 8 also provided an opportunity to showcasethe very best music and performers from West Londonincluding human beatboxer Shlomo and the One Voicechoir, Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee and Aruba Red.

Culture 8 was part of the West London Festivalprogramme and was the firstevent developed and programmed by eight West London boroughs and was awarded the coveted Inspire Mark by LOCOG.

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Sport & Health

Wembley Stadium willplay a key role in the 2012Games, hosting the men’sand women’s footballsemi finals and finals andwelcoming back theGames to Wembley aftersixty four years.

Brent Council aims to use the powerof the Olympic and Paralympic Gamesto improve sports participation andmake Brent a more active andhealthier borough.

Working with our leisure centres,local sports clubs, schools and NHSBrent we are developing a widerange of sports and recreationalactivities to encourage greaterparticipation and healthier lifestylesfor all as well as maximising sportsopportunities for all Brent’scommunities from hosting nationaland international events at WembleyStadium and Wembley Arena.

Key areas for the sports and health group include:

� reducing the percentage of people in Brentthat are inactive through sporting and physicalactivity opportunities

� providing opportunities for young people to takepart in a wide variety of sports activities andincrease school based sports opportunities andsports competitions within and between schools

� increasing community access to all facilitiessuitable for sports use, in particular facilities oneducation sites

� exploring opportunities to provide a third poolthat serves the north of the Borough

� working with NHS Brent to increase the role ofsport and physical activity as a means toaddress and prevent poor health

� developing an active workplaces scheme inpartnership with NHS Brent to encourageemployees to lead more active lifestyles

� increasing and improving facilities forrecreational and informal participation in sport

� working with local sports clubs and groups todevelop volunteering, coaching and leadershipopportunities

� developing the Brent Fun Run and Walk as alocal mass participation event to encouragefamily participation in physical activity

� using the Paralympic Games as a catalyst forengaging the disabled community throughproviding disability sports opportunities

� Implementing the actions within Brent’s Sports and Physical Activity Strategy.

Sports and health case study

The healthy walks programme was developed in April2006 and designed to encourage adults, especiallythose new to physical activity, to improve their health.

At present 11 walks take place weekly in parks acrossthe borough. As well as promoting the benefits ofleading a healthy lifestyle, the programme also hasmental health and social benefits as participants havethe opportunity to meet new people and make friends.

With the growth of the programme being so positive,a Walkers Forum was formed in January 2007 andmeets biannually. This forum enables individuals tocomment and input into the development of theprogramme.

Between April and September2008 residents were set the challenge of walking toBeijing as part of the healtywalks programme and weregiven pedometers torecord 11,875,586 steps,the equivalent of Brent to Beijing!

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Pre games training camps

Willesden Sports Centre and Capital City Academyare featured in the official pre training camp guideputting Brent on the map and showcasing thefantastic sports facilities the borough has to offer.

Through our work with the West London Partnershipfor the 2012 Games, Brent is one of 17 facilitiesacross West London listed in the official pre gamestraining camp guide prepared by LOCOG.

We are committed to maximising the potential thepre games training camps can offer the borough.

reducing the percentage of people that are inactive

through physical activity opportunities

Hosting the Olympic andParalympic Games willhave logistical andenvironment challengesfor all of London and theUK. As the city preparesfor the Games, we arekeen to ensure that theoperational andenvironmental impacts ofhosting a major sportingevent are kept to aminimum across Brent.

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City Operations & Sustainability

We aim to achieve this through:

� working with LOCOG, the Olympic deliveryauthority, the Greater London Authority andLondon Councils to ensure that events in theWembley area cause minimal disruption toBrent residents

� providing regular updates on traffic and securityzone restrictions to all residents and businessesto allow them to move around the borough

� developing a sub regional and pan London cityvolunteering programme to enhance the visitorexperience to Brent

� using the London 2012 Games to promoteenvironmental best practice to residents and businesses

� encouraging the use of public transport, cyclingand walking in order to reduce congestion andcarbon dioxide emissions

� promoting recycling, composting and reusing materials as alternative methods of waste disposal

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The Brent 2012 Steering Groupis made up of officers fromacross Brent Council as well asrepresentatives from NHS Brent,BRaVA and West LondonPartnership for the 2012 Games.

We are proud of our diversityand as one of the most diverseboroughs in the country we area melting pot of cultures andfaiths. We want to use theopportunity of the London2012 Games to celebrate ourdiversity, bring communitiestogether and provideopportunities for our residentsand businesses to engage in ourLondon 2012 journey.

Inspiring Brent is our campaignfor the London 2012 Gamesand this action plan sets outour vision for securing a legacybeyond 2012 for the borough.

Message from the Brent 2012 Steering Group

We want to use theopportunity of the

London 2012 Games to celebrate our

diversity and bringcommunities together

6150 BDU 03.08 Printed on recycled paper

‘We are passionate about and committed to the LondonGames. We will ensure that Brent contributes fully so

that our communities can participate and be a part ofthe legacy of the Games.’Gareth Daniel, Chief Executive, Brent Council