A golden meadow of wild flowers buzzing with bees and butterflies is already blooming around the Olympic Stadium, two years before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The riverbank meadow of cornflowers, marigolds, Californian poppies and prairie flowers has been especially designed and sown to flower gold just in time for the Opening Ceremony. It is the first of over ten football fields worth of nectar-rich wild-flower meadows in the Olympic Park, which will provide a colorful setting for the Games and be havens for wildlife for years to come.

International wild-flower experts from the University of Sheffield have designed a range of late flowering annual and perennial meadows for the Olympic Park using a diverse mix of colourful plants. They will be sown later in the planting season and cut back to ensure they are in bloom throughout the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Olympic Delivery Authority Chief Executive David Higgins said: ‘The wild flower meadows, wetlands, woods and lawns in the Olympic Park will provide a green and colourful setting in 2012 and a new great park for people and wildlife after the Games.

‘With two years until the Games, the parklands are already taking shape and the site is going from brown to green with meadows blooming, hundreds of trees and thousands of wetland plants being planted. We are doing everything possible to ensure this is a great park for Games and legacy and a showcase for British park design.’

Nigel Dunnett of the University of Sheffield said: ‘The Olympic Park meadows have been carefully formulated to flower at their peak during the Games, producing exciting, vibrant sheets of uplifting colour, with high biodiversity value. To achieve this peak performance, with a beautiful blend of colours at exactly the right time is no mean feat, and is based on many years of research and practical experience at the University of Sheffield.  We are extremely encouraged and excited by the results from the sowings this year.’

Work is well underway to create around 250 acres of new parklands, on former industrial land, that will provide a colourful and festival atmosphere for the London 2012 Games and afterwards become the largest new urban park in the UK for over a century. Over 500 trees and thousands of wetland plants have been planted and meadows sown around the Olympic Stadium.

Olympic Park meadows

• More than 10 hectares of annual and perennial meadows are being created in the Olympic Park, designed and sown to flower during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• The annual meadows around the Olympic Stadium are a vivid combination of tickseed, cornflower, corn marigold, star of the veldt from South Africa, Californian poppy and plains coreopsis, which moves from yellow and blue in July to gold in August.
• The meadows, which are sown on an annual basis, are being trialed this year and next year to perfect the team’s extensively researched technique of irrigation, late sowing and cutting back that will ensure the flowers peak for the Opening Ceremony in 2012.
• A combination of shorter and taller perennial meadows, which require only a single seeding, are being sown across the Olympic Park , mainly in the north of the parklands, to allow plenty of time for them to establish before the Games.
• The shorter meadows on drier sunny slopes are a colourful mix of thyme, calamint, oringanum, vipers bugloss and wild carrot. The taller meadows on shadier slopes include musk mallow, meadow cranesbill, devils bit scabious, red clover, bloody cranesbill and great burnet.
• The meadows have been designed to be nectar- and pollen-rich, diverse, with a long flowering season to encourage a range of bees, butterflies, birds, moths and other insects. Specific plants and flower species have been selected to encourage particular wildlife, for example the marsh fritillary butterfly need devils bit scabious for its caterpillars and burnet moths congregate around knapweed flowers.
• The meadows are being sown in especially designed low-nutrient soil, with a high sand content, to ensure a diverse mix of flowers and to discourage weeds.
• After the Games the meadows will gradually incorporate a range of grasses, naturally and through oversowing, so they become self-sustaining and support particular butterfly larvae such as meadow brown.

ODA Project Sponsor for Parklands and Public Realm John Hopkins said: ‘Most gardens and flowering plants are past their best in late July and August. These trials show that the challenge of creating colourful and vibrant displays for the Games will be met in an innovative and cost effective way. It is another example of world-leading design and plantsmanship.’

Further features of the Olympic Park green space for people and wildlife during and after the Games:

• 4,000 new 4-7 metre semi-mature trees, with over 500 trees grown in Hampshire already planted including ash, cherry, hazel, white willow, crack willow, alder, aspen, black poplar, Holm oak, English oak, rowan, lime, field maple, sweet gum and silver birch. The trees will provide shelter from wind and sunshine across the Park. Willow, poplar and alder will be planted in river areas to withstand flooding and species vulnerable to climate change have been avoided.
• Wetland bowls and rare wet woodlands in the north of the Park create habitat and help manage floodwater, protecting new housing and venues and 5,000 existing properties from a 1:100 year storm.
• The first of 300,000 wetland plants, grown in Norfolk and Wales, have already been planted as part of the UK’s largest ever urban river and wetland planting. Over 30 species of native reeds, rushes, grasses, sedges, wet wildflowers and irises have been grown initially on the Gower peninsular in Wales, with around a third grown from cuttings and seeds collected from the Olympic Park before construction started. The plants have been grown-on in coir mats sunk in waterbeds in Thetford and are now being transported and planted on the Olympic Park riverbanks.
• Rainwater captured through porous paving will be cleaned through a network of swales, ponds and reedbeds before flowing into the river.
• The London 2012 Garden stretching for half a mile on the Waterworks riverbank between the Aquatics Centre and Olympic Stadium and celebrating centuries of British passion for gardens and plants. It will include picnic lawns, seating, 60,000 plants and 60,000 bulbs from 250 different species.
• A riverside Royal Horticultural Society Great British Garden overlooking the Olympic Stadium, which two amateur gardeners, Rachel Read and Hannah Clegg, have helped to design after their competition entries won a public vote.
• New habitats for species including: otter, kingfisher, grey heron, bee, house sparrow, bat, song thrush, starling, toadflax brocade moth, lizard, black redstart, flower and fungus beetle, frogs, newts and toads, eel, water vole, slow worm, grass snake, linnet, sand martin, swift, and invertebrates.
• Feature planting designed by the Klassnik Corporation, We Made That and Riitta Ikonen – an art collective based in the Host Boroughs – and the University of Sheffield to represent the industrial heritage of the Olympic Park site.
• 250 benches and more than 3,300 seats built into the parklands so that people are never more than 50m walk from a seat.

Webcams enable people to watch the park taking shape first-hand

Further legacy features of the Olympic Park green space:

• The southern part of the Park will focus on retaining the Games spirit, with riverside gardens and areas for markets, events, cafes and bars in legacy.
• The northern area of the Park will use the latest green techniques to manage flood and rainwater while providing quieter public space and habitats for hundreds of existing and rare species from kingfishers to otters.
• Park hubs with play areas.
• A 6m-wide, one mile road cycle circuit built into the parklands around the Velodrome and crossing the River Lea, with lighting for year round and evening use but low level UV values to protect bats. Also 6km of off-road mountain bike tracks and a network of cycle paths across the Park including National Cycle Network Route 1.
• A large oval lawn with an amphitheatre setting in the north of the Park suitable for games, picnics and other leisure activities.
• Four football fields (2.1 hectares) worth of secure and accessible allotments.
• 5km of restored and accessible previously neglected rivers, including the original Carpenters Lock restored in a riverside bowl in the centre of the Park, connecting the northern and southern areas.
• Mounds and hills across the Park for tumbling in summer and sledging in winter.
• Temporary tree-lined daffodil, bluebell, clover and primrose meadows that vary through the seasons created on the development land on the northern entrance to the Park that may not be developed for many years. Rather than traditional construction hoarding which would deter people from using the Park, this unique use of parklands also reduces long-term security costs.
• Hanging gardens’ thirty feet above ground on the huge footbridge from Stratford City with meadows, lawns, shrubs and rows of trees welcoming people over the main walking entrance into the Park.
• A tree-lined ‘park road’ into the north of the Park modeled on The Mall and Birdcage Walk next to St James’s and Hyde Park, with distinctively designed surfacing, lighting and bollards and traffic management so visitors feel like they are in the Park.
• A new regional sports club set in parklands with a tranquil garden square centred on the original Eton Manor Boys’ Club war memorial and lined with Sweet Gum trees which turn red around Remembrance Day.
• Large concourse areas reduced in size in legacy and broken up with ‘islands’ of plants, trees and meadows.
• Parklands around the Aquatics Centre including planted hills with seating providing views across the river to the 2012 Gardens.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) unveils the latest selection of official London 2012 merchandise, in time to fill Christmas stockings for December 2010. The collection was unveiled today overlooking the Olympic Park in East London, styled with assistance from London 2012 sponsor and licensee Next.

The merchandise uses the vibrant colours of the London 2012 colour palette with popular design features such as the London skyline and the union flag. The wide selection of products includes clothing by adidas and Next, items for the home from ceramics to bedding, mascot toys and figurines, various collectable items including pins, stamps and coins, and a full range of accessories from the fun to the iconic.

Next has released its first clothing collection this week to coincide with the launch of the first mascot toy. The collection includes various limited edition t-shirts, each individually numbered from 1 to 2,012.  This will be followed later in the year with their second collection, a vintage range inspired by imagery from previous Olympic Games, such as London 1948.

For Autumn/Winter 2010, Tier One Partner adidas, has released a new sportswear range entitled 26, inspired by the 26 Olympic sports.  Focussing on individual Olympic sports, Cycling is the first ‘26’ collection with Basketball to follow in the autumn. Sir Chris Hoy wore a ‘26’ cycling outfit as he became the first person to cycle inside the Olympic velodrome earlier this week.

The Royal Mint have released their second £5 countdown coin, which is the second in a series of four beautifully crafted coins being launched annually from 2009 until 2012 and is available in gold, silver and cupro-nickel. The Royal Mail has released the second series of sporting stamps subtitled ‘On Track for 2012’, featuring a fresh set of ten dynamic images, each featuring an Olympic or Paralympic sport. A two years to go countdown pin badge, the second set of four collectable die cast taxis and a limited edition Wedgwood mug, gives plenty to enthuse the Great British tradition of collecting from now until the Games.

For the younger audience, the range of Wenlock and Mandeville toys, as well as accessories such as keyrings, posters and stationery items will expand in the run up to Christmas 2010. And for train enthusiasts, the London 2012 Hornby train set – celebrating Olympic sports on one side of the train and Paralympic sports on the other will be on sale in time for the festive season.

For the home there is a collection of fresh and colourful product, including hand embroidered cushions by Jan Constantine, ceramics by Wedgwood, as well as tea towels, bedding and bath towels which will appeal to children and adults alike.

By 2012, an estimated 10,000 London 2012 merchandise items will be on sale.

London 2012 CEO Paul Deighton said, “With two years to go until the Games get underway, excitement is building and creating London 2012 merchandise is going to be a key part of that – as it is at all major sporting events. We have some fantastic products coming up, the sale of which help fund the staging of the Games and is a great way to engage with London 2012.”

Merchandise will be available from the London 2012 online store – www.london2012.com/shop – as well as Next and John Lewis stores nationwide. A new London 2010 flagship store opened at St Pancras International on Tuesday July 27 2010.

London 2012 announces plans to recruit passionate and inspirational volunteers for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

• Up to 70,000 volunteers to be recruited for the London 2012 Games
• Volunteers to be known as Games Makers
• Pre-identified applicants for specialist roles to apply from 27 July 2010 onwards
• Applications for generalist roles to open on 15 September 2010
• Young Games Maker programme for up to 1,500 under-18 year olds opens in 2011
• McDonald’s announced as Presenting Partner
• Mayor of London’s London Volunteer scheme opens for registration on 27 July 2010

With almost two years to go until the London 2012 Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today announces plans to recruit up to 70,000 volunteers for the London 2012 Games.

In the biggest post-war volunteer recruitment campaign in the UK’s history, LOCOG will be looking for dedicated and inspirational people representative of the diversity of London and the UK to apply for a wide variety of volunteer roles.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “London 2012 needs brilliant volunteers to help us deliver a great Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our volunteers will be called Games Makers to reflect the important role they will play in staging the 2012 Games. The programme to find our Games Makers will launch on 27 July 2010 and I urge anyone that is interested to come to our website from the day onwards to find out everything they need to know about volunteering in 2012.”

There are two types of Games Maker roles, specialists in areas such as medical services, sport or press operations and generalists, with roles ranging from spectator assistants, uniform distributors and ticket checking.

In addition to these volunteer roles being recruited by LOCOG, the Mayor of London will shortly announce plans for the recruitment of London Volunteers, stationed at key transport hubs, at visitor attractions, and on the streets of the capital to make sure all visitors to London get the best possible welcome during the Games.

With recruitment starting exactly two years before the London 2012 Games, key dates for the application process are:

• 27 July 2010: applications open for pre-identified applicants for specialist sport, press operations, anti-doping and medical roles and members of a wide range of disability specialist organisations. This is also an opportunity for those interested in the generalist roles to find out if they have what it takes to be a Games Maker via a dedicated section on the London 2012 website. Recruitment also starts on this date for the Mayor’s London Volunteers scheme.

• 15 September 2010: applications open to the public for generalist roles and continue for specialist roles.

LOCOG today also confirmed that up to 1,500 of the Games Maker roles will be made available for those under the age of 18 through the ‘Young Games Maker’ programme that will be unveiled in July 2011.

The role of volunteers has been integral throughout Olympic history. London pioneered the use of volunteers in the 1948 Games which saw the first official use of unpaid members of the public to help with the Games.

Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s has been appointed as the Presenting Partner for the Volunteer Programme. McDonald’s will use its expertise in customer service and training and nationwide presence to help attract, select and train the diverse team that will be needed to make the 2012 Games a success.

Steve Easterbrook, Chief Executive of McDonald’s UK, said: “We value our people above everything else in our business and it is our ambition to ensure that the 2012 Games volunteers are also highly valued, recognised and celebrated for their efforts and achievements.  While nothing quite compares to the bustle and excitement of an action-packed Olympic and Paralympic Games, our employees know a fair bit about working in a fast-paced, busy environment – providing quick and consistent customer service to over two million people each day. We are proud to use this experience to help prepare the volunteers for the unique experience of London 2012 that leaves an enduring volunteering legacy for years to come.”

Hugh Robertson, Sport and Olympics Minister, said: “As I have seen in Turin, Beijing, Vancouver and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, volunteers are the public face of every major sports event, playing a vital role in the spectator and athlete experience.  If London is to be a friendly and successful Games, we will need volunteers of all ages to welcome the world to London and give London 2012 our own distinctive British imprint.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:”Volunteering for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, on home soil, is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It is the great people of this country, with their warm welcome and ‘can-do’ attitude, on whom the success of our Games will depend.  So my message is simple: whether you have a specific skill to offer or simply bags of enthusiasm to get stuck in and lend a hand, be it volunteering in one of the fantastic 2012 Games venues or helping us on the streets of our city – your Games need you!”

LOCOG continues to work closely with the Life-Time UK Alliance to ensure the Games Maker programme is supported by the voluntary sector and will help deliver a lasting legacy to volunteering in the UK.

Justin Davis Smith, Chair of the Life-Time UK Alliance and Chief Executive of Volunteering England, said: “The London 2012 Games offer a unique opportunity to showcase all that is great about volunteering in the UK, and to leave a lasting legacy that will benefit the community for years to come. In association with our partners in the Life-Time UK Alliance, we are delighted to be helping LOCOG to maintain the excitement and energy of the Games long after the last medal has been awarded, through an increase in community participation and engagement in volunteering.”

LOCOG is also working closely with the Trade Union movement to ensure that London 2012 maximises the benefits of its volunteering programme.

Brendan Barber General Secretary TUC, said: “Volunteers embody the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as much as the athletes. A Games-time volunteer experience will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The TUC is delighted to work with London 2012 to make sure that these Games are great for volunteers, paid workers, competitors and spectators alike.”

Two sports venues have hit respective milestones as progress continues on delivering the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 12,000-seat Basketball Arena – one of the largest temporary venues ever built for an Olympic and Paralympic Games – has had its external cladding completed.

Elsewhere in the 500-acre Olympic Park, the main structure is now in place for the 7,000-seat Handball Arena.

The Basketball Arena, which is longer than a football pitch at 114m, 98m wide and as tall as the Tate Modern at 35m, is moving towards completion next spring, while the Handball Arena has a summer 2011 finish date.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: ‘The Basketball Arena and Handball Arena are two very different structures – one large and temporary; the other compact and permanent. Their contrasting designs and the progress we have made on their construction reflect the first-class abilities of the construction teams working on the site.

‘Both also highlight our approach to legacy – only building permanent structures which can serve communities post-2012. The temporary Basketball Arena will be taken down and used again elsewhere while the Handball Arena is a permanent useable space which can accommodate an array of activities both during and after the Games.’

London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe said:  ‘It is very exciting to see the Basketball Arena taking shape so quickly.  The Arena will be a superb venue which will host some fantastic sport at both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  Basketball is one of the most popular Olympic sports and fans will be watching in a spectacular setting.

‘Likewise, the Handball Arena will provide athletes with a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility at Games-time and the local London community with a much needed flexible indoor sports arena after the Games. Handball is a very popular sport, particularly strong in Europe. London 2012 will provide an enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable audience with the chance to witness great sport in a great venue.’

The 1,000-tonne superstructure for the Basketball Arena is now wrapped in 20,000sq m of recyclable white PVC membrane, providing an early view of what the venue will look like when finished. During the Games the fabric, which is stretched over three different variations of arched panels, will act as a canvas for an artistic and innovative external lighting design.

It will stage the Basketball preliminaries and quarter-finals, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby and the Handball men’s quarter-finals, all semi-finals and medal matches.

After the Games, the venue will be dismantled by the owning construction contractor and elements potentially used at other UK and overseas events. A number of enquiries have already been received regarding future use of parts of the arena.

The Handball Arena’s main structure, also weighing 1,000 tonnes, will now start to be clad in 3,000sq m of copper with a high recycled content to give a rich natural colour as it ages.

It will feature 700 sq m of glazing that will encircle the building at concourse level, also serving to illuminate the venue at night.

Foundations for the building concluded in December last year, after which 30 concrete walls were lifted into place. The steel frame, fabricated in Bolton, was then constructed.

The venue is one of the most compact sporting venues on the park. Retractable seating will help create a 2,743sq m field of play space. To reduce the need for electricity, 88 light pipes in the ceiling will allow natural daylight into the venue, while rainwater harvesting from the roof for toilet flushing will help to reduce water use by an estimated 40 per cent.

During the Games the Handball Arena will host men’s and women’s preliminary stages and the women’s quarter-finals for the Handball competition, as well as the Fencing Discipline of the Modern Pentathlon, and Goalball during the Paralympic Games.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is responsible for the development, planning, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park site after the Games, including the Multi Use Arena (Handball Arena during Games-time). With 6,000 spectator capacity, which can be extended to 7,500 seats, OPLC could also offer the venue for cultural, entertainment and business events.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) announced today that four leading UK creatives will form a team of Executive Producers who will oversee the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The team will be:

• Stephen Daldry, Oscar winning film and theatre director as Executive Producer, Creative
• Mark Fisher, concert, theatre and Beijing 2008 Games designer as Executive Producer, Design
• Hamish Hamilton, Grammy and BAFTA award nominated TV director as Executive Producer, Broadcast
• Catherine Ugwu, Producer for the 15th Asian Games in Doha in 2006, the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 as Executive Producer, Production

Danny Boyle, Oscar winning British filmmaker and producer, will be the Artistic Director for the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. An Artistic Director for the Olympic Closing Ceremony and one for the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be appointed later this year.

Sebastian Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: ‘These Games are bringing together world-class British talent. Each one of these individuals would hold their own on the worldwide stage and they are joining names like children’s author Michael Morpurgo who has created the story behind our highly successful mascots. We are delighted with the team we have brought together to deliver our ceremonies in 2012.’

Danny Boyle said: ‘I’m honoured to have been invited to be the Artistic Director for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. It’s a completely unique opportunity to contribute to what I’m sure are going to be a fantastic Games, I’m really excited to be involved.’

Stephen Daldry said: ‘Myself and my co-executive producers will ensure there is creative continuity across all four ceremonies, that the public have real engagement and that we continue to attract into key roles the best talent in the world. I’m delighted to be part of the team.’

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, said: ‘The opening and closing ceremonies are the jewels in the crown of any Olympics and Paralympics and are one of the benchmarks against which all Games are judged.

‘I am very pleased that British directors and producers of such outstanding international calibre and acclaim have given their backing to London 2012. With their creativity and expertises on board, I’m sure that London’s showpiece events will make Britain proud.’

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘This is a brilliant team bringing together some of the most imaginative people in the world. The work they have produced over the years has been quite extraordinary, with an impact not just in the UK, but also on the international stage.

‘They exemplify some of the greatest attributes we have – creativity, vision, and intelligence – which will be critical to ensuring shows that are as stunning as they are uniquely British.’

3 Mills Studios, East London’s centre for the creative industries and in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium itself, will be the production centre for the London 2012 Ceremonies Team, and a base from where the Victory Ceremonies and Torch Relays will be produced. The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) is taking over ownership of the studio from the London Development Agency (LDA), with this deal will see LOCOG’s staff from the Culture, Ceremonies, Education and Lives Sites Team moving into offices at 3 Mills Studios in October 2010, and LOCOG expects to have around 450 full time staff plus hundreds of contractors and production volunteers in 2011. The OPLC will assume the obligations of the LDA under the Studio Use Agreement. Normal film, TV and rehearsal activity will continue at 3 Mills Studios at the same time as the Ceremonies team develop and rehearse the London 2012 Ceremonies in part of the 20 acre, 14 stage complex.

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company said: ’3 Mills Studios is among the hotbed of talent and emerging artists that surround the Olympic Park. The rich cultural heritage of the Studios, combined with its renowned production facilities, make it a natural fit for the creative powerhouse that is the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies team.

‘Boosting London’s creative and media industries is a significant part of our vision for the Olympic Park. What could be a stronger signal of our commitment than the creation of hundreds of jobs at 3 Mills to produce a series of spectacular shows that will be watched by a world-wide audience of more than a billion.’

From the 1980’s the Studios in Bow East London, has been used as a film, television and West End production site. Notables who have made films here include Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Mike Leigh, Michael Winterbottom and Danny Boyle. West End Theatre has included the rehearsals for Billy Elliot the Musical and Oliver! The Musical. There is evidence to suggest the original Mills here were listed in the Doomsday Book and date back to the 11th century. Over time the mills have produced flour, gun powder and until the Second World War was used primarily for the production of Gin.

LOCOG has joined forces with FiveCurrents and Unspun in association with Arcadis via their consortium entitled Flow Productions Limited, to create a standalone production company called London 2012 Ceremonies Ltd. This company will produce the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The appointment of FiveCurrents and Unspun and Arcadisfollows an exhaustive procurement process to find a delivery partner able to provide production services for these extraordinary and complex events.

Working alongside the LOCOG appointed Executive Producers and Artistic Directors to realise four innovative and visionary World Class Ceremonies, Flow productions will establish the company and oversee its financial, administrative and procurement processes.

To mark London 2012 Sustainability Week, members of staff from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the Delivery Partner and contractors working on the construction of the Olympic Park have been visiting schools and community centres in east London to promote sustainable initiatives and help improve community facilities.

More than 400 schoolchildren in east London have also benefited from talks from members of the ODA this week about sustainability on the Olympic Park site including Normanhurst School in Waltham Forest, St Angela’s School in Newham and Crown Woods School, Greenwich.

The ODA worked with London Fields Primary School in Hackney and Holdbrook Primary School in Broxbourne to set up 10 pocket habitats which will remain at the schools for one year and be moved back into the Olympic Park in 2011 where they will remain during the Games.

In St Helen’s School in Waltham Forest, contractors from the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre visited the school after donating planter boxes, seeds and compost so students can grow their own fruit and vegetables.

Contractors working on various Olympic Park venues and projects have helped community projects, including:

Carpenters Community Centre, Newham – contactors working on  the construction of the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Basketball Arena and the utilities project worked together to paint floors and doors, fix the ceiling of the centre as well as creating an improved outside play area.

Chandos Community Centre, Newham – contractors building the Media Centre, Basketball Arena and the bridges on the Park plus the waste contractor on the Park grouped together to carry out improvements works to the centre’s outside area, including clearing weeds and rubbish and donating compost, seeds and plants.

Dan Epstein, ODA’s Head of Sustainable Development, said: ‘We are cleaning a previously industrial and contaminated area and turning it into a new urban park with brand new sports venues, homes and infrastructure. This huge project is being delivered with sustainable principles at its heart and our contractors have helped raise the bar for future projects.

‘This week, our staff and contractors have given their time, resource and expertise to help local schoolchildren understand how important sustainability is and how we all can play our part.’

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG)  announces that Eurostar has become a tier three sponsor of London 2012, the 30th domestic sponsor.

The high-speed rail company has become Official International Rail Services Provider and will be providing London 2012 with arrival and departure services at St Pancras International for those competing and working at the Games who are travelling to London on its trains. It will also provide international rail services for London 2012’s operational requirements. Outside of its sponsorship with LOCOG, Eurostar will naturally be carrying many spectators from main land Europe to and from the Games in 2012 itself.

The cross-Channel rail operator has also acquired rights in France and Belgium and become a partner of the French and Belgian National Olympic Committees. As part of these deals, the French and Belgian Olympic teams will travel to and from the Games using Eurostar services.

As part of its sponsorship of the London 2012 Games, Eurostar will be conducting a number of activations across the UK, France and Belgium to promote London 2012 as a truly sustainable Games.

The first main Eurostar activation is the Tri-City-Athlon planned for 14 September 2010 which takes places across the three capital cities that Eurostar serves. Over one day participants will do a swim in Paris, a cycle in Brussels and a run in London.

LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe commented: “We are thrilled that Eurostar has come onboard as a London 2012 partner. They are an iconic brand with a strong emphasis on quality and I know they will ensure that everyone coming to London 2012 by rail, either as a competitor or spectator, has the best travel experience possible from the moment they start their journey.”

Nicolas Petrovic, Chief Executive of Eurostar, said: “We are proud to be partners with London 2012 and believe we will play a critical role in bringing people from all over Europe. As the high speed rail link between the UK and the continent we will be bringing over a million people to and from the UK during the Games and will help make London 2012 the most sustainable Games possible.

“The Tri-City-Athlon which will take place in Paris, Brussels and London will be a record-breaking way of demonstrating the proximity of the continental capitals we serve and reinforcing the closeness of the UK to Europe. It will be a great challenge for the participants and will be a key milestone in the run-up to 2012.”

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has appointed Sainsbury’s as its first Paralympic-only sponsor, becoming a Tier One Partner of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This historic commitment to the Paralympic Movement is the largest sponsorship ever of a Paralympic Games.

Sainsbury’s will work with LOCOG between now and 2012 as it seeks to deliver a spectacular sporting showcase for the world’s greatest Paralympic athletes. Sainsbury’s will utilise its network of over 850 stores to help promote the Paralympic Games in the run up to 2012 and will make Paralympic Games and ParalympicsGB merchandise available across the UK. As part of its commitment to LOCOG, Sainsbury’s will run a media campaign in 2012 to support the Paralympic Games and its colleagues will have the opportunity to be seconded to LOCOG.

Limited branding is permitted on the field of play at the Paralympic Games and Sainsbury’s will be one of two Partners to have a presence on athletes’ bibs, as well as in and around key venues at Games-time.

Sainsbury’s will also be working with LOCOG’s education team to develop opportunities related to its successful Active Kids programme as part of LOCOG’s Education scheme, ‘Get Set’.

LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe commented, “The support for the Paralympic Games in the UK is incredible and I’m thrilled that we are now in a position to confirm our first stand-alone Paralympics sponsor.  Sainsbury’s will become a valued partner of the Paralympic Movement and will help us to promote the Games to the sport loving public of the UK.  We take great pleasure in welcoming them to the London 2012 Paralympic family.”

Justin King, Sainsbury’s CEO said: “We are delighted to be the official sponsor of the 2012 London Paralympic Games. The vision on which the Paralympic Movement was founded complements Sainsbury’s commitment to promote a healthy, fitter lifestyle across all ages and abilities. Together with our customers and colleagues, we look forward to supporting a successful 2012 Paralympic Games.”

Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said: “The IPC is proud to see Sainsbury’s as the first Paralympic Games-only sponsor for London 2012. With such a well-known company becoming an exclusive partner, this will set new promotional opportunities for the Paralympic Games and the Movement, leaving a powerful legacy in communities across the UK.”

LOCOG’s agreement with Sainsbury’s covers the London 2012 Paralympic Games only.

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and Debbie Jevans, Director of Sport will today update the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) on London 2012’s progress, highlighting the success of its ‘Sign Up’ programme. Since its launch in March, over one million people have registered their interest in London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic tickets via www.tickets.london2012.com.

96% of registrations have come from UK residents, with 32% of registrations coming from Greater London, 27% coming from the south east and 41% coming from the rest of the UK. There has been an even spread across all Olympic and Paralympic sports too, with over 400,000 people registering an interest in Paralympic sports and at least 100,000 expressions of interest for each of the 26 Olympic sport.

Sebastian Coe commented, “We are thrilled by the level of interest in our Sign Up programme. What has been really interesting is that there has been significant interest across all Olympic and Paralympic sports.  It should come as no surprise that the British public is so enthused by the prospect of world class sport coming to these shores, but it is pleasing to see that some of the lesser-known Olympic and Paralympic sports are also set to be well supported. I would urge people to continue to sign up and ensure they are in the front row for information between now and 2012.”

Olympic tickets go on sale in spring 2011 via an application process.  Those who sign up on www.tickets.london2012.com will receive ongoing newsletters about sport events between now and 2012 and crucially will be among the first to find out about when the process opens in 2011. LOCOG is developing a ‘Fans in Front’ programme aimed at ensuring enthusiastic and knowledgeable sports fans will be seated together at venues to help ensure Olympic and Paralympic events will have the best atmosphere possible in 2012.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and UK Anti-Doping have today signed a memorandum of understanding about how UK Anti-Doping will collaborate with LOCOG in delivering the Doping Control Programme at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Under the authority and direction of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, LOCOG will collect and test approximately 5,000 samples at the Olympic Games and 1,200 at the Paralympic Games. This is a significant increase from the previous Games and represents record numbers.

Debbie Jevans, LOCOG Director of Sport, said: “We need to have a strong message that drugs cheats are not welcome at the London Games. The input of UK Anti-Doping, our new national anti-doping organisation, will assist LOCOG in the delivery of a world class anti-doping programme at the London Games.”

Andy Parkinson, UK Anti-Doping Chief Executive said: “UK Anti-Doping is pleased to work with and support LOCOG in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are partnering with LOCOG to develop a comprehensive programme of testing, athlete education and training for anti-doping volunteers in the lead-up to, and during, the London 2012 Games.”

Key elements of the agreement are:

* LOCOG to recruit specialist Doping Control Officers (DCOs), with the assistance of UK Anti-Doping, to volunteer in the LOCOG Doping Control Programme; volunteer DCOs will be sourced from UK Anti-Doping, other national anti-doping organisations, International Federations and local NHS Trusts

• UK Anti-Doping will provide a training programme for Doping Control Officers, Blood Collection Officers and chaperones

• UK Anti-Doping will provide expert staff to assist LOCOG to deliver their anti-doping programme during the Games

• LOCOG and UK Anti-Doping to work together to provide doping control at test events in 2011 and 2012

• UK Anti-Doping to deliver anti-doping education at selected test events.