2012 Community Games in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent

 

What are the Community Games?

Community Games is a programme that aims to get people staging their own Games between now and 2012. It has the potential to ‘touch’ the lives of thousands of people in the region, providing many of them with their own personal “Olympic or Paralympic moment”. It is one of the programmes inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing people of all backgrounds together in cities, towns and villages to feel part of the Games. 

 

What is the link with the Olympics and Paralympics?

The Community Games are supported by Legacy Trust UK and are part of the West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012, and aim to bring communities together, giving them the confidence and skills to organise events, leaving a legacy far beyond the end of 2012. The Staffordshire/Stoke-on-Trent target is to have 88 Community Games taking place in different communities by the end of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

What is meant by a ‘Community’?

A community could be a street, an estate, a local business, regular users of a park or other public space, people involved in a shared interest group or who people have a shared cultural heritage. This is not an exhaustive list and there will no doubt be other types of communities that come forward to organise a Games. It is important that the Games are driven and shaped by a community and although an event can be facilitated by a local authority or other statutory organisation, the community itself must be instrumental in the development and delivery of the event.

 

What are the key features of a Community Games?

A Community Games includes both sporting and cultural events, and some sort of ceremony, ideally an opening and/or closing ceremony.

 

What will a Community Games Event look like?

They will all look different – some on one day at one venue, some over a week at multiple venues. Some will involve an element of sporting and cultural competition, others will focus on participating in new activities. The important thing is that each event will reflect the wishes of the community it is organised by and for.

 

Can an existing event be a Community Games?

Yes if it incorporates all of the key features above. If it doesn’t incorporate all the key features it could be that by accessing the Support Programme it could become a Community Games in 2011 and/or 2012.

 

Who will actually be organising the Community Games Events?

We are looking for people to volunteer to engage and celebrate their community by organising a Community Games. Although one person will be the Lead Organiser it is an ideal opportunity to involve other people, particularly young people, to give them valuable experience.

 

What help is available for Community Games Organisers (CGOs)?

There is a Community Games toolkit, which is available online. This contains a wealth of valuable information and tips for organising an event. The answers to many of the detailed questions that prospective CGOs may have can be found in the toolkit.

 

In addition, a Support Programme is being developed which includes the following elements:

• Local advocates and advisers to help CGOs to shape their ideas 
• Free access to training on how to organise and market successful events
• A Community Games website which will include all the resources, as well as examples of what others are doing
• Promotion and marketing templates and resources
• A regular newsletter with information and news on what’s happening elsewhere

For further details please visit the web site: www.communitygames.co.uk or contact:
 

Chris Turner
Club Development Manager
Sport Across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent
T: 01785 619681
E: cturner@staffordbc.gov.uk