Sidmouth organisations asked to meet up on Monday to discuss Cultural Olympiad events

ORGANISATIONS involved with sporting and cultural events in the Sid Valley are being invited to attend the first meeting of Sidmouth Cultural Olympiad on Monday.

Coordinated by town councillor Mary Jolly, there are plans to organise events from the end of next July until mid-August, at the time of the Olympics.

“The Olympics starts with football on July 25 and the closing ceremony is on August 12,” said Mary, pictured with Sidmouth Museum curator Dr Bob Symes and ex-footballer Chris Hargreaves, who runs Sports Exchange, who are backing the Cultural Olympiad for Sidmouth.

Dr Symes said the Cultural Olympiad wrote to the museum and was asked to co-ordinate events in Sidmouth.

Nationally it is designed to inspire creativity of all forms, particularly among young people, and the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad will be the London 2012 Festival, bringing artists from across the world for the country’s biggest ever festival of dance, music, theatre, film and visual arts.

Locally, Mrs Jolly is seeking support from any organisations and businesses, hotels, schools and youth groups, as well as sports clubs and churches, and hopes they will attend Monday’s meeting, August 22, at her home, 6 Balfour Manor Court, Broadway, at 6pm.

She said: “Hopefully it will bring more tourism here. We have got to get it organised in time to get it in the town guide and for hoteliers.”

Meanwhile Chris Hargreaves is offering discount on sporting equipment to encourage youngsters to take up a new sport this summer.

From Monday, for a month, he said he would give discount to youngsters showing they were taking up a new sport.

“It is an invitation for the children to get fit,” he added.