The 2012 Roadshow bus will travel almost 3,000 miles to criss-cross the country from July 6 – the anniversary of London’s win – to July 27, exactly six years before the Opening Ceremony in the Olympic Stadium. The Roadshow will begin in London’s Trafalgar Square - where thousands cheered the International Olympic Committee decision last year - and finish in Liverpool.

 

As part of the Roadshow, Jowell will also host an economic benefits conference in Leeds on July 19. This will build on the successful Business Summit held at Canary Wharf in London in January, and will explore the wider economic benefits to be created throughout the UK as a consequence of the 2012 Games.

 

The bus will carry top names like London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, Olympics Minister Jowell, London Mayor Ken Livingstone and past and present Olympians to events staged to ensure that local communities and businesses are fully involved in the 2012 experience, have the latest information and are fully on board as the Games draw closer.

 

“2012 is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we’ve got to make sure everyone can see the benefits and feel part of this extraordinary event,” said Jowell.

 

“Our Roadshow is a vital step in making sure that people across the country know what is happening and understand how they can get involved in so many different ways, whether as businesses bidding for contracts, or as spectators, volunteers or even athletes competing in the world’s greatest sporting event. This is UK 2012, not just London 2012, and we simply won’t let the rest of the country miss the bus.”

 

Jowell has committed to joining the Roadshow on five days as it tours the country with the 2012 message, as has Coe.

 

“The Games will last only six weeks, but the physical legacy will last for fifty years. And the ‘soft’ legacy – the social and economic changes that are enshrined in our plans – will last a lifetime,” said Coe.

 

“The Games are a powerful catalyst for change and will help create a sustainable sporting, community and environmental legacy for future generations. We hope this roadshow will help people to appreciate just how inspirational the Games can be and the relevance they can have for them and their communities”.

 

Livingstone, will be on board as the bus leaves Trafalgar Square on its first day. “When the Roadshow begins it will be exactly a year since Trafalgar Square erupted with joy as the thousands gathered heard the electrifying news from Singapore we had all wanted to hear - that the 2012 Games ‘are awarded to the City of…London,’ he said.

 

“What better way to mark the first anniversary of that memorable day than seeing the Roadshow bus leave the Square on its important journey to spread the message around the country that we want everyone to benefit from the fantastic opportunities that hosting the 2012 Games will bring.”

 

The Roadshow, organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and LOCOG in conjunction with London 2012’s Nations and Regions Group and the Greater London Authority, is supported by the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association, the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales and the Northern Ireland Office.

 

It will visit all four capital cities, major centres like Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and Sheffield, 2012 venues like Eton Dorney, the Weald Country Park and Old Trafford in Manchester, and sporting events at Weymouth and Portland and Stoke Mandeville. Full details of the route and the more than 40 stops will be made public later this month.

 

The Roadshow will inform local people about preparations for the Games, what the Games can mean to them, and how they can get involved.  It will also:

• Remind businesses about the economic opportunities that are presented by the Games – including a potentially huge boost to tourism. 
• Send out a strong message about sport, and the huge inspiration the Games will be to people, young and old, to take part and get active. 
• Reinforce the fact that the UK will be hosting two magnificent events in 2012: the Paralympic Games as well as the Olympic Games.
• Tell them about the chances to get involved at the Games as part of the UK’s largest peacetime volunteer team.
• Give more details about the cultural Olympiad and the opportunities it brings to showcase our creativity and talent to a worldwide audience.