2012 Plan Starts Taking Shape

Events are being organized in 2011 as part of a planned build up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. These include some key milestone dates:

• March - 1 day event ‘500 days to London 2012’
• June - 1 day conference - UK wide independent media centre organizers
• July - 2 day ‘Open’ Weekend - 1 year to London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony
• August - Bank Holiday Monday - 1 year to Paralympics 2012 Opening Ceremony

In January 2012 the CMC 2012 will open at Phoenix Square and start a nine month long series of events, workshops and seminars taking place for members of all communities across the city and county. This will include events organized with our many partners including Inspire Leicestershire and working inside schools to develop 2012 related experiences.

During the 2 weeks of the Olympics and the 2 weeks of the Paralympics, the Phoenix location will become the largest independent media centre operating in the UK. It will be run by many of the 2,012 Community Reporters being recruited across the city and county to report on their own communities and the activities taking place. This program is being developed in partnership with the Leicester Mercury and forms a core function of the newsroom based Community Media Hub. 

Our recent association with an independent media backbone stretching from Glasgow to Bristol, organized by the ‘media2012’ group, led by Professor Andy Miah of University of West Scotland (UWS) has taken us from being a standalone project to a key partner in a remarkable coalition of organizations . As editor of the Citizens’ Eye Community News Agency, I appear to have established a benchmark operation that others across the UK are seeking to follow. 

Arrangements are progressing through the close partnership with Simon Gribbon of Leicestershire Promotions, to identify transport providers (train/coach/minibus) interested in shuttling ‘citizen reporters’ to the Games. The vision of a ‘bus stop’ outside the Phoenix taking people down to experience the largest sporting event in the World and to soak up the atmosphere as community reporters is truly inspiring.

Through existing tenancy arrangements I’m hoping to secure all available office space at Phoenix Square to provide serviced workspace for visiting international ‘citizen reporters’. This particular group of people specialize in covering large sports events especially the Olympics across the globe and will make for an exciting collective to have resident in the Cultural Quarter for a few months. Conversations with entertainment organizers are already taking place.

I’m working with Sarah Harrison, the City Centre Director on developing a Gold/Silver & Bronze sponsorship program for Leicester based retailers. This will cover events in the months leading up to and during both London 2012 events. We are also in negotiations with Blueprint (Phoenix Square) in relation to the waste ground adjacent to the building. This will form the location for a unique six week ‘Olympic Village’ experience. 

Finally I’m seeking to discuss with local accommodation providers any possible ‘early bird’ deals we could secure and to start promoting through the existing global ‘media2012’ network in early 2011.

Leicester has a direct train link with London and the Olympic zone, that makes it only a 76 minute journey. This makes our city very attractive to international journalists who will find the costs of London very expensive.

We have a chance to plan sensibly and offer a cost effective solution to this group of individuals. They have to come to our country in 2012 as part of their job and I intend to make sure they choose Leicester.

It’s only 597 days to the Olympics start and 630 days to the Paralympics. Leicester has a chance to play it’s part and shape a 2012 Games experience of it’s own. 

Every piece of community news captured between the Special Olympics in 2009 and Olympics/Paralympics in 2012 will form the collection and archive at the innovative Community News-Museum being opened in the Cultural Quarter (September 2012). 

The first of it’s kind in the UK and a true community legacy of 2012.

Exciting times! Why not join us.