Skip to main content

Olympic Games 2012: Culture

Volume 503: debated on Wednesday 13 January 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in relation to the Cultural Olympiad in each parliamentary constituency. (310492)

Pursuant to my answer of 5 January, Official Report, column 44W, many of the Cultural Olympiad initiatives, such as the London 2012 Open Weekends and the projects within the Inspire Mark Programme, are designed, delivered and financed by local organisations and such information is not held centrally.

However, the Cultural Olympiad is already providing opportunities for people across the country to celebrate their cultural life in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Three Major National Projects of the Cultural Olympiad—Artists Taking the Lead; Stories of the World; and Unlimited—are now launched. There are over 144 cultural Inspire Mark projects (sourcing funds estimated at £19.8 million so far) taking place across the UK. During the two London 2012 Open Weekend celebrations in 2008 and 2009, there were over 1,400 events across all the regions of the UK. We hope that many communities will get behind 2012 projects to build momentum behind the Cultural Olympiad as we approach the Games.