Lottery To Fund 2012 Legacy Initiative

The legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Games has received a huge £135m boost from the National Lottery, as the government announced a national sports initiative.??

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson announced the new Places People Play initiative in London – which is completely funded by the National Lottery and invest in facilities, volunteers and inspiring participation.??

The Places People Play initiative will be delivered by Sport England, in association with the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association.??

Robertson outlined some of the plan’s targets – with Places People Play aiming to find and train 40,000 more volunteers to organise grassroots activities and also includes ‘The Gold Challenge’ – that looks to inspire 100,000 adults to ‘test themselves in Olympic and Paralympic sports’ and in doing so raise millions for charities.??

Sportivate, another leg of the initiative, aims to provide opportunities for teenagers and young adults to receive six weeks of coaching in the sport of their choice and guiding them into regular participation within their community.??

‘This is the cornerstone of a grassroots legacy from hosting the Games because it enables everybody to play sport,’ said Robertson.

‘With more lottery money being invested in facilities, volunteering and protecting and improving playing fields, there will be more opportunities for everyone to get involved,’ he added.??

At least £8 million additional investment will also be focused on improving access and facilities for disabled people in the UK.??

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe added: ‘When we bid for the Games in 2005, we said we would use the power of the Games to inspire young people to take up sport.’??

‘Places People Play will harness the inspirational power of the Games to promote sport and leave a lasting legacy of facilities, trained volunteers and more people participating in sport. This is what we set out to achieve.’?