Relay reaches half way milestone

The Community Games Relay has today (Saturday) reached the halfway mark of its 70-day journey across the country, inspiring thousands of people to unite in the spirit of London 2012. 

The Relay is part of Community Games, a programme born out of the Olympic and Paralympic Games which encourages friends, families and communities to come together through the medium of sport and cultural activities.

Funded by the Social Action Fund, Community Games is being delivered by the YMCA and the County Sports Partnership Network.

Mirroring the route the Olympic Torch Relay took last year, the Community Games Relay has so far placed a spotlight on 35 regions in England.

Daily events have ranged from people running 80 miles in a day, right through to treasure hunts and hundreds hopping across a bridge on space hoppers.

The Community Games Relay celebrates the work of its 36,000 volunteers from across the country who have generously given their time to organise the programme’s 1,000 plus events.

Each day a volunteer is selected as a ‘Shining Light’ in their community and presented a jersey for the role they have each played in helping to create a legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

One of the shining lights includes pensioner Amanda Wilkins who was a Games Maker at last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 68-year-old from Newhaven in Sussex felt a void in her life after the Olympics and wanted to continue to inspire others to be passionate about sport, like she says the nation was during London 2012. She is being honoured for the role she has played in the programme in helping to organise a Community Games event in the style of an old-fashioned sports day for older people.

On the last day of the Community Games Relay, day 70, Amanda along with all of the other 70 shining lights will come together for a special celebration at the opening of the Copper Box at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Community Games’ Programme Manager, Nikki Enoch, said:

“We are delighted to reach the half way milestone of the Community Games Relay.

We have been overwhelmed by the success of the Relay in communities all over the country and it is clear to see that a legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has been created through Community Games.

The Relay has given us an opportunity to celebrate the amazing people who go the extra mile for their communities – our Shining Lights.

We look forward to inspiring even more people to become active and take part in cultural activities with friends, families and communities.”

To find out more information about Community Games or to find out what’s happening on the remaining 35 days of the Community Games Relay then please log on to www.communitygames.org.uk

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Community Games:

• The Community Games programme was launched in the West Midlands in 2009 and was originally funded for three years by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Last year 1,648 Community Games took place involving more than one million participants and 36,847 volunteers.
• Community Games is inspired by the Wenlock Olympian Games founded by Dr William Penny Brookes in 1850 and still held annually in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. The Wenlock Olympian Games were the inspiration behind the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games when Baron Pierre du Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, visited the games in 1890. The Community Games programme pays homage to a community event that inspired a global event, and now uses that global event to inspire a new raft of community events.

The YMCA:

• Founded 168 years ago, the YMCA in England is made up of 121 member YMCAs working to ensure that young people have opportunities to thrive and contribute positively to their communities.
• YMCA operates in over 530 different communities in England impacting upon the lives of over 500,000 people every year.
• Every night YMCAs provide over 9,000 beds for young people. The YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of safe, supported accommodation for single men and women aged between 16-30 years old.
• The YMCA enables nearly 24,000 people every year to engage in education, skills and training to enable them to improve their opportunities in the job market.
• The YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of health and wellbeing services promoting physical activity.
• For further information please visit http://www.ymca.org.uk

The County Sports Partnership Network (CSPN):

• The County Sports Partnership Network brings together 49 County Sports Partnerships from across England, and is responsible for supporting the delivery of national sports policy at a local level by shaping it to the needs of local communities.
• The CSPN contributes to the health of the nation by helping local people lead healthier, active lives. The CSPN brings together the knowledge and expertise of a range of local delivery partners – including local authorities, clubs and schools – which enables it to use resources in the most efficient way possible to deliver sport in local communities.

Donna Roddy, Citydesk Sport, on behalf of Community Games.

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