Sir Tony Hawkhead, CEO Groundwork, highlights several key projects from the 2012 Olympics that have resulted in tangible and positive social benefit.
It’s hard to believe a year has passed since the beginning of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Showcasing Britain like never before, the two weeks of action captured the imagination of a global audience. Team GB certainly rose to the occasion, creating moments that will be replayed for years to come. From the Brownlee brothers’ emotional embrace at the end of their triathlon, to the deafening roar of the audience as Heather Stanning and Helen Glover stormed to victory in the women’s coxless pairs, to the ear-to-ear smile of Mo Farah after his flawless performance in the 10,000-metre final, the Games showed Britain at its very greatest.
Beyond the Olympic park and host borough communities, much has been said about atmosphere and cohesion. The sense of community around the Games was certainly palpable; moving London away from ‘business-as-usual’ to one big conversation. Leading up to the Games, the procession of the Olympic Torch took the Games’ spirit far beyond the host borough communities to all corners of the UK. And for those few weeks last summer, London became hyper-connected, with people sharing passions and interests with others they knew and would get to know. Across the UK, commentators began remarking that people had begun talking on the London underground, igniting a greater sense of community than had been observed before.
Almost as soon as the Games drew to a close the conversation moved to legacy. Legacy in terms of funding for sports in schools; legacy in terms of increasing participation in sports across the UK; legacy for the Olympic park itself, and legacy for our communities. As a social and environmental regeneration charity, legacy is central to Groundwork’s offering. Groundwork has played a key role in the legacy story of the Olympic Games, by ensuring all work carried out in conjunction with corporate partners resulted in tangible and positive social benefit. We ran, and continue to run, a number of programmes linked to the Games that did just that; not just in the Olympic host boroughs, but in communities across the UK.
Transform
A core part of the London 2012 Changing Places programme - Transform is an initiative that supports communities to secure lasting social and environmental benefits as a legacy of the Games, taking the inspiration of the regeneration of the Olympic Park to encourage residents to come together and make their own spaces better.
Working initially with communities and other third-sector partners across the host boroughs, and a number of corporate partners as part of their employee-engagement programmes, Transform projects have focused on using sustainable materials, many of which have been reused from the Olympic Park and, for the last two years, from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Having already amassed contributions of more than £1M, Transform is now embarking on a major new phase that will invite and empower communities across London to transform their local spaces.
One such project is Dorset Road Community Garden in Newham, London, which was officially launched last month. It saw the transformation of a derelict space into a vibrant, new community garden introducing 20 food- growing spaces, an orchard, picnic spaces, and a communal tool container with green roof. Dorset Road is just one of 70 unloved and unused community spaces that have been reactivated for community use as part of Groundwork’s Transform programme.
Cadbury and Groundwork - Spots v Stripes
An official treat provider for the Olympic Games, Cadbury, worked with Groundwork to deliver an innovative community programme called ‘Spots v Stripes’ over a two-year period leading up to and including the Olympics. The community programme aimed to bring the Olympic spirit to the nation and inspire people to rediscover the benefit and enjoyment of playing games.
Groundwork worked with local people to deliver games and events in some of the UK and Ireland’s most deprived communities; reaching out to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The Spots v Stripes campaign mobilised more than 4,500 volunteers and saw 180,000 people playing games as a way of creating community spirit in towns and cities across the UK.
Although the Spots v Stripes campaign came to an end in September 2012, Mondelez International (the parent brand of Cadbury) is continuing to fund activity related to the initiative in areas of the UK including Sheffield, Uxbridge and Chirk. In addition, some of the community events, which brought together groups of people of all ages and ethnicities, will continue to take place annually.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Estates
In January 2012, a Balfour Beatty-led partnership, including Groundwork London, The Landscape Group and Renaisi, was awarded the contract by the London Legacy Development Corporation for the Estate and Facilities Management of the Queen Elizabeth Park and Venue. The contract includes services including grounds maintenance, security, venue cleaning and the operation of the Accor Mittel Orbit - the 115-metre-high sculpture and observation tower in the Olympic Park.
The 10-year contract commenced in November 2012 with full mobilisation expected in June 2013. Groundwork, with Balfour Beatty and Renaisi, will be establishing a new social enterprise called ‘Our Parklife’. Its aim will be to provide support for the partnership and ensure that 85% of the workforce will come from the local area and that 10% of vacancies will be ring-fenced for long-term unemployed people. Our Parklife will also lead on the development of time bank and volunteering programmes on the park.
Having already successfully placed a high number of Groundwork employment and training clients into the contract, including the first apprentice into the horticultural team, Groundwork is currently delivering a pre-employment course that will support the recruitment of the next tranche of horticultural operatives ready for the partial opening of the Park in July. Later in the year, Groundwork will be running further courses for security, facilities management and customer service staff as the workforce grows in time for the full park opening in 2014.
Involving local schools in Olympic legacy
Groundwork has worked closely with the London Legacy Development Corporation to run a series of educational programmes that are helping young people from East London get involved and share in the excitement of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London’s newest urban park.
Last year, the M.A.D.E. in East London programme invited 300 young people from 10 East London schools to come up with inspiring ideas for how ‘meanwhile’ or temporary spaces awaiting development within the park could be best utilised. This year as part of ‘Enterprising East’, classes of Year 9 students will learn about enterprise and be challenged to develop a new enterprise to attract other young people to come into the new Park.
Each participating school has been twinned with a business partner which is supporting and mentoring students through the development of their ideas, which will be presented and judged at a ‘Dragons Den’-styled event where ‘Dragons’ will invest in the idea, or ideas, that they feel need to be taken to the next stages of development or implementation.
For further information visit www.groundwork.org.uk
