Launch of Local Leaders

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games have today (3^rd April 2012) launched a new initiative to help individuals within communities play an active role in bringing their friends, family and community members together to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to the UK this summer.

The London 2012 ‘Local Leaders’  will equip people with ideas to bring their friends, family and communities together to help make the most of the London 2012 Games by creating celebrations for their village, town or city around the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, the 12-week UK-wide London 2012 Festival or the Olympic and Paralympic sports action.

People can sign up to be a Local Leader at www.london2012.com/localleaders and can play an active part now in preparing their community for international attention when the Torch arrives in the UK.

Joseph Ballard, London 2012 Inspire Programmer for the East of England, said: “The East of England already has an exciting programme ahead of this summer, with community celebrations, Inspire projects, the Get Set education programme and Festival 2012 events engaging with thousands of people across the region. Local Leaders allows those celebrating the Games in other ways to be part of official London 2012 history. The website provides some great starting points and we want to know what people are planning for this exciting year.”

‘Garden for the Games’ provides Local Leaders with hints and tips from gardening experts, including Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins and Olympic Park gardener Des Smith, on how to plant seeds now that will turn window boxes down your street red, white and blue, or to ‘grow gold’ by planting marigolds to flourish the route of the Olympic Torch route.

By the time the Olympic Torch flame arrives in the UK on 18 May Local Leaders will have been provided with ideas and tools to help bring their communities together to welcome the flame and celebrate their local heroes by lining the streets and showing what makes their community special for the 70-day UK wide relay.

On 27 July the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games will be watched by over a billion people around the world, and Local Leaders will be given invite cards, recipe tips, party sheets and more to help them turn their screening of the event into an Olympic-themed venue, whether it is in a village hall, pub or living room.

The 4 August is Super Saturday - the day when the most medals are awarded during the Olympic Games. Local Leaders will access recipe ideas to help host barbeques and a day of activity in their homes, gardens and community centres.

For the Paralympic Torch Relay, Local Leaders can help celebrate the national flame lightings in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales by lighting up every corner of the UK with a lantern. Local Leaders will be able to access hints and tips on how to take part in a lantern procession and decorate lanterns with good luck messages for their local Paralympic athlete.

Finally, for the last day of the Paralympic Games on 9 September, Local Leaders will be provided with ideas to bring together friends, family and neighbours for a Sunday get-together to see out an unforgettable summer in style.

By signing up at www.london2012.com/localleaders Local Leaders will get access to London 2012 branding, posters and toolkits. Whether the Local Leader invites three friends or their whole community, London 2012 will provide them with the tools to make their celebration one to remember and create opportunities for people across the UK to join in. They will also be able to put their celebration events on the London 2012 ‘Join In’ listings website, giving local community celebrations exposure on what will be one of the most visited websites in the world this year.

Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: “Local Leaders will be brilliant organisers in every community around the country and play an active role in celebrating national events at a local level. Through this programme Local Leaders will help provide opportunities for everyone around the UK to join in with the London 2012 Games.’

Now Games organisers are putting the call out to the whole nation to encourage individuals who are keen to play an active role in their friendship group, street or community in celebrating the Games this summer to sign up at www.london2012.com/localleaders