Tag Archives: Paralympic Games

Stuart Cosgrove reflects on the Paralympic Games

Posted on by

In his role as Director of Creative Diversity at Channel 4, Stuart Cosgrove managed the team in charge of the coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Here, he reflects on the last few years, and in particular the last 12 days, contemplates the legacy of the games, and looks ahead to the future of Paralympic broadcasting.

 

When we signed the rights to the Paralympic Games, what do you think it was that secured them for Channel 4?

There’s no question that we were in quite a keen, competitive battle for the rights. There’s always two or three dynamics going on with negotiations, one of which is money, and the amount we were willing to spend on securing the rights, but it’s actually always about more than simply money. There’s also the amount of air time that you’re going to commit to giving the event, and for the Paralympics that was mission-critical, because this was the first time ever that the Paralympics had effectively been sold to the international market as a rights asset. It had always been seen in the past as something that was added-on to the Olympics, with all the down-sides of being associated as the junior partner. This was the first time it had been separated out as a package in its own right. So clearly money was important, but so was the amount if air time, which ended up being close to 500 per cent bigger than the BBC had done in Beijing. That was a seismic step-change, a paradigm-shift in the way in which people had perceived the Paralympics before. Then the third thing to add to that would be the level of creative vision that we committed to bringing to the games. That included the support in poster campaigns and on-screen trails, and working with commercial partners to do a range of films in advance. For two years we’ve been working on programming content, magazine shows, documentaries, short films, all of those things, to build up a public awareness of the athletes and of the competition. And I think there was another thing that helped us, which is that if you offer something to a broadcaster like Channel 4, which can never compete with the BBC in terms of scale, or size of staff or that sort of thing, it mattered to us because it was something big that we’d won. So in terms of our corporate ambitions, the whole organisation got behind the Paralympics in ways that it wasn’t just another thing for us, it was the biggest thing that we would do, and for many people on the team possibly the biggest thing they’ll ever do in their career. So with that, you get the emotional engagement with it, of caring about it and giving it that attention, whereas with other broadcasters, it might just be another sporting occasion.

 

What were the main challenges you faced between winning the bid and the start of the Games?

First and foremost, engaging people with the specialness of it, the fact that we had something here that was clearly different. Another area of it was to try to decode the sometimes complex classification systems brought about by the different levels of impairment of the athletes involved. The other thing was striking the best balance between high-quality, elite sport, and emotional narratives about the lives of the people competing – how their impairments had come about, how their disability had affected their lives. Those human interest and emotional stories had to run alongside great sport and coverage of it, because if it wasn’t good sport, you don’t earn the right to tell the other story.

 

Why was it so important to get disabled talent on-screen presenting?

I think that Channel 4 is always looking to put forward a degree of authenticity that maybe other channels wouldn’t aspire to. Other channels might have seen it purely as another sporting occasion, where they put their sports team and their sports anchors on it. Channel 4 has a remit to develop new talent across the UK, and so embarked on a nationwide search for first-time presenter talent who themselves had a disability. We then trained them for almost two-years off-air, and then brought them on-air gradually, in late-night shows and as-live situations. We brought them through in partnerships, where they were always on air with experienced professionals sitting with them in the studios. I think, by and large (and there’s always a subjectivity about whether you do or don’t love a presenter, but putting that subjectivity to one side and looking at this as an objective piece of work) I think that most people would conclude that we’ve had a really good success rate at bringing fresh new talent to the screen, some of whom the audience have clearly fallen in love with. And as presenters, they were able to bring their own experiences to the screen, so you had Daraine being filmed getting fitted for prosthetic blades, or Arthur’s experience as a member of the British development team for the Paralympics in Rio. Having a guy like him, who can give you that sense of what it feels like to become a wheelchair athlete after you’ve become paralysed in an accident, that’s quite an important emotional engagement for the viewer. That sort of takes us back to the Superhumans campaign, and that controversial moment in the trailer where the bomb goes off, and it flashes to a car crash, and then to a prenatal ward where a woman is clearly struggling with bad news about birth defects – it just gives you that sense that this is not just athletics as we know it.

 

Now that the Paralympics have finished, how do you feel that the coverage went?

Really well. The Olympic Broadcast Services provided a very extensive and high-quality coverage for us, as they had done previously for the BBC with the Olympics. And I think we benefited from the fact that the BBC kicked off one of the most remarkable summers of sport that Britain’s ever witnessed. We harvested some of the national mood of that, and I think people were just up for this summer never to end. I think they enjoyed embracing new stars who they’d never heard of before. One of the editorial tones we set for ourselves was for our coverage to be ‘More of the same, but different’. We wanted to harvest the gold medals, we wanted Team GB to be successful, all of the things we’d seen in the Olympics, but we wanted to do it differently, the difference of course being disability and all of the things that come with that.

 

Is there anything you’d change about how Channel 4’s covered the games?

I think inevitably with hindsight, you’re always looking to see “Should we have done more on that particular sport?” “Could we have enriched the coverage with even more cameras?” There’s always those technical things that you look at, of that there’s no question. One thing I was struck by, as a viewer, was the very deep and high quality expertise. Pure sports fans will have come away, particularly with the swimming from Giles Long, and the middle and long-distance wheelchair sports with Jeff Adams, knowing they’ve been in the company of real experts who can analyse sport to a point where it becomes revelatory for you. You can never have too much expertise.

 

Are there any other aspects of the coverage that you’re particularly proud of?

Yeah, I’m really proud of the fact that we managed to tell great stories about previously unknown talent. I’m really proud of another thing: I had a conversation with a colleague of mine, who’s the Scottish Football Association’s Disability Development Officer, a guy called David McArdle. He had been telling me that Channel 4 didn’t understand that, by virtue of placing these games so into the public domain, we were converting a lot of people to disabled sport, who didn’t even know some of these sports existed. This will have a major impact, in a transformative sense, for families with disabled kids, or for people who acquire disabilities and want to rebuild their life and find purpose in their life, whether that’s through cerebral palsy football or wheelchair racing or whatever. By virtue of putting this coverage on air, with the level and depth that we’ve done, we’ve played a role in alerting people that they can participate in sport to a significant standard, and start to rebuild their lives after either accidents or inherited disabilities. I feel proud of that because it’s a lasting legacy. It goes beyond the ideas of “Oh, did you win an award for the title sequence?” or “Did you win an award for best promotions?” Those are nice to have, but they’re industry values. What’s really important is that people are now looking at disabled sport through an entirely different lens.

 

What was your own personal high point, in sporting terms, of the games?

I’m from an Irish family, although I’m a Scot, and I thought that the Irish team did extraordinarily well, particularly on the track. That was something I felt very proud of. If I had a little bit of a setback, I was personally putting a lot on Jerome Singleton in the 100m. My reasons for that are to do with another passion – I’m obsessed with black American music, and Jerome is a graduate of the famous Morehouse College, where Spike Lee went – it’s one of black America’s most famous colleges, and he’s one of their elite athletes. I’d been following him through the American trials, and secretly wanted him to win the 100m. But he didn’t. You watch people for all sorts of different reasons. Libby Clegg won silver in the 100m. She’s a young girl from the borders of Scotland. I’ve been following her. I’ve had a photograph of her on my desk from last season, of her with peroxide blonde hair and her running dark glasses, and running with her guide athlete, who’s a young black man from South London. And that image, of this blonde white girl in sunglasses running tied to a young black British athlete in an elite disability sport, if you freeze-frame it as a moment, you couldn’t get a better moment of diversity in contemporary Britain. It just comes alive. So all of those things really sparkle for me.

 

Were you surprised by the viewing figures?

Personally I have, yes. I thought that we would do well across daytime, because we’re offering something that’s different and live. But I’ve been taken back by the numbers, and how that converted into prime time viewing. We comfortably beat the 3 million mark night after night, and for a Channel the size of Channel 4, that’s a huge reward. I’ve been at Channel 4 for the best part of 15 years, and I can’t remember a time where we’ve delivered on this scale both commercially and in terms of our public purposes. It’s almost the event that’s defined why Channel 4 exists. It’s changing public attitudes, it goes to the heart of our remit, but people want to engage with it, it’s hugely popular television.

 

You’ve already touched on legacy a little. But what will the legacy of all this be on Channel 4? How are you going to keep up this momentum?

First and foremost, the legacy around all of this is that we’ve not only increased the visibility of the Paralympics, we’ve nurtured in the audience a passionate interest in it. And I think we’ve helped educate our audience about disabled sport, so that as you move forward, the audience has every expectation of wanting to see more of the thing that you’ve awakened in them. Obviously we’ve got our new presenters, and we’ll be looking to find ways of returning them to other parts of our schedule in the years ahead. And obviously we have to look to the other Paralympic events that we can bid for. But we’re not going to be gifted anything. The BBC have seen the success that we’ve had with the Paralympics, and they’ll want a bit more of that. They’ll consider, as the national broadcaster, that by rights the Paralympics should be theirs. ITV might turn around and say “This was commercially a good thing for Channel 4,” and want to look at it. We know that ESPN and Sky are keen to dominate the sporting market, and may be interested. So we can’t take anything for granted. We don’t own the rights, yet, to Rio, but clearly we’d be interested in looking at them and being part of the bidding process. But nothing is guaranteed.

 

And what about the legacy away from Channel 4? What do you think the long-term effect will be of these games, and the coverage of them, on the nation as a whole?

The effect is three-fold for me. Number one, we’ve brought disability absolutely into the mainstream. There’s been plenty of disability-themed broadcasting on all channels over the years, but this is the first time that it’s come so profoundly and so energetically into prime time, and made such an impact commercially. The days of saying that disabled content is a ratings disaster are over. What you do with disability content, how you frame it, and how you bring it to audiences, that is the big issue now. Secondly, I think we’ve really educated audiences about disabled sport, about the ranges of sports out there. And they’ve taken a lot of the athletes and turned them into household names. There’s an enormous appetite out there for the blade runners, the amputee cyclists, the wheelchair racers, as there is for wheelchair rugby, which is a high-impact sport in every sense of the word. Disabled sport has come of age. And the final thing is the legacy of sporting participation. If you’re a young couple and you live in Lincolnshire and you’ve got a four-year-old kid who’s disabled, maybe with cerebral palsy or a genetic condition, or they’re an amputee, and you’re sitting down saying “What’s the future for our kid?” suddenly a world has opened up where they’ll be saying “How do we get our kid to be more of a participant in sport?” “Shouldn’t we be taking them to swimming lessons?” “How do we get them to understand that a wheelchair is something they can use as a sporting device, rather than just a piece of mobility?” So for all of those reasons I think levels of participation in disabled sports will increase across the whole of the UK, and I think Channel 4 should be very proud to have been part of that.

Frost Reflects on the Paralympics

Posted on by

The Paralympics has come and gone with a bang. Leaving Londoners a little bereft as the London Games 2012 draws to a close. It has been an exciting time to live in London.  Great Britain got a total of 120 medals. 34 of those were gold. Personally I loved the guy in the paralympics advert who, after listing all of the injuries he had acquired, which included broken ribs and fingers, ended the conversation with “nothing serious”.

A peak audience of 3.2 million viewers were watched Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage when David Weir won his second gold of the 2012 Games in the T54 1500m. The Paralympic Games 2012 Tonight programme, from 7.30pm through to 10.30pm was watched by an average of 2.5 million viewers, 11 percent share of the audience.

The early evening coverage of the swimming from the aquatics centre peaked with 1.8 million viewers – averaging 1.6 million viewers, 10 percent share, between 5.25pm and 7.00pm.

Afternoon coverage peaked with 1.4 million viewers – averaging 824k viewers, 11 percent share, between 1.00pm and 5.25pm.

The Paralympics coverage helped Channel 4 record an all-day share of 9.4 percent – up +35% on the 12 month average for Tuesdays.

Seven weeks after Channel 4 launched the critically acclaimed ‘Meet The Superhumans’ Paralympic trail, its sound track had taken the UK music charts by storm and forged an unexpected collaboration between hip hop legends, Public Enemy, and leading British Parlympians.

Channel 4 launched its biggest ever marketing campaign in mid-July to promote coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics with ‘Meet the Superhumans’, a 90 second long film, set to the track, ‘Harder Than You Think’ by, Public Enemy and showcasing the abilities of some of the leading UK Paralympians as they prepared for the Games.

In the weeks that followed the video went viral and ‘Harder Than You Think’, first released in 2007 and never having appeared before appeared in the Top 200, suddenly entered the UK Top 40; currently at number four on The Official UK Singles Chart and number one on the Indie Singles Top 20 Chart. ‘Harder Than You Think’ is now Public Enemy’s highest charting single to date in the UK.

Now swimmer Ellie Simmonds, wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft, blind footballer Dave Clarke and cyclist Jody Cundy are among a host of leading British Paralympians featured in a newly cut video by Public Enemy in tribute to the London 2012 Paralympics.

The video, titled ‘Harder Than You Think – UK Paralympics Version’, blends the herculean efforts of the Paralympians preparing for the Games – filmed by Channel 4 – with the original gritty street locations and hip hop sounds synonymous with Public Enemy.

Public Enemy’s Chuck D says: “These athletes are about self-empowerment and determination. Doing what they do….is harder than ya think.”

James Walker Channel 4’s Head of Marketing says: “Public Enemy are one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time. It’s a fantastic testament to the impact of the Paralympics that we have been able to introduce new fans to their music.”

A peak audience of 7.7 million viewers watched last night’s Channel 4 coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games closing ceremony. The full closing ceremony programme from 7.00pm to 11.10pm was watched by 5.9 million viewers, 26 percent share of the television audience.

Coverage of the final day of the Paralympic Games made Channel 4 the most watched television channel across the whole day – with a total share of 16.4 percent; versus 15.9 percent share for BBC ONE and 13.4 percent share for ITV1. Channel 4 was also the most watched channel in terms of 16-34s and ABC1s.

The closing ceremony was the second most-watched moment from Channel 4’s coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games, after the opening ceremony which peaked with 11.2 million and Jonnie Peacock’s 100m T44 win on Thursday which attracted a peak audience of 6.3 million viewers – the biggest UK audience for live Paralympic sport ever. On the same ‘thriller Thursday’ David Weir’s T54 800m gold was watched by a peak audience of 5.5 million and Hannah Cockroft’s 200m T34 win attracted a peak audience of 4.1 million. Alan Oliveira’s victory over Oscar Pistorius in the 200m T44 on Sunday was watched by a peak audience of 4.4 million viewers.

Across the Paralympics as a whole, Channel 4’s coverage reached 39.9 million people – over 69 percent of the UK population. This compares to a reach of 20.5 millon for the BBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s Chief Creative Officer said: “Last night’s closing ceremony was a suitably spectacular end to a fantastic London 2012 Paralympic Games and I’m thrilled that, over the course of the last eleven days, Channel 4’s coverage has engaged more people than ever before in disabled sport.”

Channel 4 released new research from BDRC Continental and YouGov over the weekend which showed that two in three viewers feel more positive towards disabled people as a result of watching coverage of the Paralympic Games.

Headlines from the research include:

  • Two thirds of viewers (65%) feel the coverage of the Paralympics has had a favourable impact on their perceptions towards people with disabilities.1
  • More than four in five Adults (82%) agreed disabled athletes are as talented as able-bodied athletes, rising to 91% among those who had watched Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics.2
  • Almost two thirds of Adults (64%) agreed that the Paralympics is as good as the Olympics, rising to 79% among those who had watched Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics. 2
  • Two thirds of viewers (68%) felt the coverage of the Paralympics has had a favourable impact on their perceptions to disabled sport. 1
  • Around two in three viewers (69%) said this is the first time they have ever made an effort to watch the Paralympics, while half (50%) said this is the first Paralympics they have ever watched. 67% said they watched more than they expected to.1

Since 2010, as part of Channel 4’s pledge to bring Paralympic sport to a mainstream audience and add authenticity, knowledge and experience to its programming, the broadcaster has invested over £600,000 in identifying, training and developing ten new disabled presenters and reporters who have played major roles in the channel’s coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games. 80% of viewers enjoyed the fact that there were disabled presenters on screen in Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics and almost three quarters of the audience (74%) agreed that they enjoyed the matter of fact discussions about disability.

Building on this, Channel 4 has committed a further £250,000 across the next two years, to both support and develop the existing disabled presenters across a range of television genres and to continue to identify new opportunities for disabled talent on-screen.

Thanks For The Warm Up: The Paralympics on C4

Posted on by

Wednesday August 29th – Sunday 9th September

After years of working and waiting, countless months of heady anticipation, weeks of building excitement, and a not-too-shabby test event, the Paralympics have finally arrived. For 12 days, viewers of Channel 4 will witness unfettered sporting brilliance, courage, talent, triumph and tragedy, as dreams are made and broken in the cauldron of top class competitive sport.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the biggest event in Channel 4’s history. Close to 500 hours of live coverage will be broadcast during the twelve days of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, marking the most extensive Paralympic Games coverage ever broadcast in the UK.

Multiple channels and platforms will broadcast live sport on Channel 4, More4 and online at Channel4.com. Three further live streams will feature uninterrupted live coverage of events from across the Paralympic Games, on-air from early morning through to late evening.

The Channel 4 presenting team for the Paralympic Games will be a ground-breaking line-up featuring top sports broadcasters, former Paralympians and new disabled talent. Half of the presenters and reporters covering the Games for Channel 4 will be disabled. Eight of the on-air team have come through our nationwide talent search carried out in 2010 to find the best new disabled presenters.

Viewers will also find their enjoyment of the sports on offer enhanced by Lexi, a graphic system that will explain the classification system involved in Paralympic sport. Lexi is made up of graphics which broadly illustrate disability types within sporting classes.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the biggest, and hopefully the best, in history. Thousands of remarkable athletes will perform in some amazing venues in front of passionate and knowledgeable crowds. Watch it all on Channel 4, and enjoy an extraordinary swansong to this once-in-a-lifetime summer of sport.

Paralympic Games Breakfast Show

A surprising, inspiring and eclectic mix of the best of Paralympic sport served up daily from 7 until 9.15am.

Hosted by Kelly Cates and Rick Edwards the show covers the very best of all the great moments of the Games. There are live injects from the main venues, analysis of the triumphs and heartbreak and close-up features of the lives of the superhumans we’re all watching. The Breakfast Roadshow is trekking across the country every morning shining a light on the home-town unsung heroes who’ve helped the athletes achieve their dreams.

In the studio we’re investigating cybernetics, prosthetics and all manner of Paralympic paraphernalia. The audience is invited to join in via tweets, texts and all forms of social media and there’s a wide range of studio guests.

Morning
Jonathan Edwards and Daraine Mulvihill introduce an action-packed morning of sport from the Olympic Park. Among the sports regularly featured are Athletics, Swimming, Equestrian and Table Tennis. From the pressure of the heats, to the drama and excitement of the finals, we’ll be on hand to bring you closer to the competitors as they bid for Paralympic glory.

Afternoon
Comprehensive coverage of the afternoon action from the London Paralympics where Cycling and Equestrian take centre stage, alongside team sports like Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby and 5-a-side and 7-a-side Football.

Arthur Williams and Georgie Bingham are your hosts for this inspiring sporting extravaganza, bringing you the personalities behind the athletes and getting under the skin of the Games.

Teatime
At 5.30pm every evening of the Paralympics make a date with the big finals at the Aquatics Centre. The world’s finest swimmers hold centre stage in this hour with as many as seven gold medals up for grabs before 6.30. Athletics kicks in soon afterwards as do the team sports such as Wheelchair Basketball and Sitting Volleyball. Clare Balding and Ade Adepitan present the best of the action.

7.30 Peak
The day’s action at the Paralympics reaches its climax through the evening with more gold medals on offer between now and 10.30 than at any other time of the day. The swimming finals continue in the Aquatics Centre; the track finals come thick and fast in the Olympic Stadium; and the team sports – Wheelchair Basketball and Rugby among them – are guaranteed to provide bone-crunching moments. The presenters are Clare Balding and Ade Adepitan.

THE LAST LEG with Adam Hills
Adam Hills presents an alternative review of each day at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, showing all the best gems of action and taking a sideways look at the intricacies of disability sport. Adam will be joined each night by his eagle-eyed sidekick Josh Widdicombe, as well as guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment, to pore over the golden moments, confront some of the widely held views associated with Paralympic sport, and answer the questions you were always afraid to ask.

Reporters, Commentators and Analysts
The presenting team will be joined by reporters discovered during Channel 4’s search for disabled talent in 2010; including former Paralympic swimmer Rachael Latham, sports reporter and wheelchair basketball player Jordan Jarret-Bryan, former carpenter Martin Dougan, researcher Liam Holt, sports journalist Alex Brooker, and para-equestrian rider Diana Man. The reporting team will also include renowned broadcasters such as Sonja McLaughlan, Ned Boulting and Adam Darke.

A hugely experienced commentary and analysis line-up will include John Rawling and Rob Walker as well as former Paralympic sprinter Danny Crates, former Paralympic wheelchair racer Jeff Adams and former British sprinter Katherine Merry on athletics; Bob Ballard and Paul Noble alongside former swimmers Giles Long and Karen Pickering at the aquatics centre; Phil Liggett and Jon Norfolk in cycling; Ronald McIntosh and Dan Johnson on basketball; Andrew Cotter and Justin Frishberg for wheelchair rugby; Don Parker on table tennis; Tony Jones for football; Simon Golding on volleyball, powerlifting and fencing; Neil Adams and Simon Jackson on judo; and Chris Dennis covering Tennis.

Live Streams:
Three further live streams, C4 Paralympics Extra 1, 2 and 3, will feature uninterrupted live coverage of events from across the Paralympic Games, on-air from early morning through to late evening. The three streams will be broadcast on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media (numbers to follow)

Jon Snow’s Paralympic Show
In the run up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Jon Snow will present a nightly show, starting on Monday 20th August at 7:30pm.

Well-known celebrities and faces from the world of sport and entertainment join Jon Snow’s live nightly weekday countdown to the eagerly anticipated London 2012 Paralympic Games; the biggest event in Channel 4’s history. Jon invites viewers to join in the wave of enthusiasm and excitement, as over 4000 elite disabled athletes descend on London. During the week presenter Clare Balding, leaves the comfort of the TV studio to try her hand at equestrian dressage with the man who dominates the medals in this sport – Paralympic gold medallist Lee Pearson. Comedian Jimmy Carr visits Headley Court, the MOD’s rehabilitation centre, where rower Captain Nick Beighton and some of his Paralympics GB teammates spent time after returning with horrific injuries from Afghanistan. Martine Wiltshire, 7/7 London bombing victim, explains why the number seven has become a good omen as she gets ready to compete in the women’s sitting volleyball competition. Sue Kent, the only massage therapist in the UK qualified to ply her trade using only her feet, practises on Olympic champion and Channel 4 Paralympic sports presenter Jonathan Edwards, before heading into the Paralympic village to look after the athletes. And Ade Adepitan, checks out The Village, where over 4000 athletes are staying for the Paralympic Games. As a Paralympian himself, will he find the accommodation and surrounding areas accessible and up to scratch? Exec Prods: Michelle Fobler and Gareth Rees; Prod Co: Boomerang

Jon Snow’s Paralympic Show, week nights from Monday 20th – Tuesday 28th August at 7:30pm.

Minister Huw Lewis makes a Wish for Wales

Posted on by

Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, took part in a Cauldrons & Furnaces Wishes for Wales workshop at Hay Festival, showing his support for Wales’s Cultural Olympiad celebrations.

Cauldrons & Furnaces, which launched last month by the Welsh Government to welcome a strand of the Cultural Olympiad to Wales, is a series of high profile events taking place at Cadw sites across Wales from 16 June – 17 July. Wishes for Wales is one element of the Cauldrons & Furnaces activity, involving young people from schools across England and Wales, who have been coming to St Davids in west Wales to take part in this creative heritage project.

Through Wishes for Wales, which is a joint project between Cauldrons & Furnaces and Farms for City Children in Treginnis Isaf, the young people involved are demonstrating what Wales’s history and heritage means to them by hand painting and embellishing in St Davids colours gold, black and white, a ‘golden stone’ with their own design and inscription of a personal message – their wish for Wales – which will then be left in St Davids Bishop’s Palace as part of a Celtic installation.

People visiting the Wishes for Wales workshop held on Cadw’s stand at Hay Festival were asked to draw a design that represents themselves and their connection to Wales’s heritage, and then write a wish for Wales on the back of the stone. Huw Lewis said: “This is a fantastic project and it’s great to see so many young people involved in celebrating Wales’s heritage and culture at such an important time. It’s such a simple idea, but will remain a lasting legacy of Cultural Olympiad celebrations in Wales.”

The Wishes for Wales stones created at Hay Festival, which were all painted using the red, white and green of Wales, will be on display at two Cauldrons & Furnaces events; at the beginning of the 22 day Pilgrim walk leaving from Llanthony on Saturday 16 June, and then moved to the Great Hall of the Bishop’s Palace, St Davids to debut the end of the Pilgrim journey on Saturday 7 July.

Cauldrons & Furnaces is a partnership between Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, and the Arts Council of Wales. The project is part of Power of the Flame, and has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity which is creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

Wishes for Wales is directed by artist Deborah Withey, who said: “Wishes for Wales has been a fantastic project to work on, with so many enthusiastic and imaginative young people involved. It was great having the Minister at the workshop today, as well as all the other visitors to the stand. It’s great to see such creative spirit and willingness to contribute to this lasting legacy of the Olympic celebrations here in Wales. I’m looking forward to seeing the collection of stones at the Cauldrons & Furnaces events later this month and in July.”

Those who wish to be become part of history and participate in Cauldrons & Furnaces can join the 22-day Pilgrim walk or the magnificent procession at St Davids and walk with the Pilgrims through the city to the Palace for a finale feast of music, dance and food.

For further information about the 22 day Pilgrim walk, visit www.ramblers.org.uk or www.pilgrimage2012.co.uk and for further information about St Davids Bishop’s Palace email info@orielyparc.co.uk or call 01437 720 392.

The other Cauldrons & Furnaces events across south Wales will also give locals and visitors an array of cultural experiences which will help bring Wales’s history to life.

For lovers of Wales’s stunning landscape and history, visitors can witness the reawakening of Blaenavon Ironworks in a multisensory musical celebration and also take part in enchanted adventure trails and tales in the grounds of Laugharne Castle.

Caerphilly castle is the inspiration for Awen – a festival of the arts, including dance, sculpture, poetry and film.

Cadw has set a challenge for people to attend as many events as possible to be in with a chance of winning one of five Cadw annual family memberships. For details of how to take part pick up a Cauldrons & Furnaces leaflet at a participating site or visit www.cadw.wales.gov.uk

For more information about Cauldrons & Furnaces and how you can get involved, visit www.cadw.wales.gov.uk, find Cadw on Facebook or Twitter. #CF12

Details of the Cauldrons & Furnaces events – all Wales (south Wales *)

*Saturday 16 June – Saturday 7 July

Pilgrimage walk, Llanthony Priory to St Davids

Trace the tracks of ancient pilgrims, kings, saints, madmen and paupers with a dedicated group of artists and storytellers on a 22-day Pilgrimage across South Wales. There will be special events, eye catching performances and educational workshops at key points along the route. FREE event, join at www.ramblers.org.uk / www.pilgrimage2012.co.uk.

Friday 22 June, Town Parade 5.00pm – 6.30pm

Saturday 23 June, Castle Performance 7.30-9.00pm

Spirits of Dragons, Flint Castle

Travel through the mists of time with a musical spectacle as your companion. Join the children of Flint as they tell the story from mythical beginnings through to Roman, Norman and English invasions with performances from dragons, giants and masked characters. FREE ticketed event. Book at www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk / 08453 303 565.

*Friday 29 & Saturday 30 June, 6.30-8.15pm

Elemental, Blaenavon Ironworks

A multisensory celebration of a unique landscape and the elements – witness the reawakening of this incredible World Heritage site, that once kick-started an industrial revolution, through creative and musical performances.

FREE ticketed event. Tickets available from www.head4arts.org.uk.

Sunday 1 July, 2.30-4.30pm

Cipio’r Castell, Caernarfon Castle

A spectacular musical procession to kick start a month of artistic celebrations – visitors can enjoy specially commissioned raps, orchestral and choral music, live theatre and a month-long series of innovative art installations within the castle walls. FREE with a wristband, available from 1 June at www.visitsnowdonia.info or from Caernarfon Tourist Information Centre or call 01286 672 232.

*Saturday 7 July, 1.30-6.00pm

Event starts – Oriel y Parc 1.30pm, procession leaves Oriel y Parc 2pm

Finale events at St Davids Bishop’s Palace 3.00-4.15pm (yellow wristbands), 4.30pm-5.45pm (silver wristbands).

Dewi Sant Pilgrims, St Davids Bishop’s Palace

One big walk, one small city – after a 22-day trek across Wales, the pilgrims are welcomed with fanfares, music and artwork. Visitors can join the last leg of the journey through the city ending at the Bishop’s Palace with a celebration of music, food and dance. FREE with a wristband available from 16 May at Oriel y Parc, St Davids, email info@orielyparc.co.uk or call 01437 720 392.

Sunday 8 July, 6.30-9.30pm

Mantell, Denbigh Castle

One legendary golden cape. Thousands of golden memories. Visitors will be taken on a journey through the castle and witness the story unfolding through storytelling, puppetry, animation, music, dance and fire sculpture – culminating at dusk in a magical and glowing finale. Booking essential. Tickets £2, available from 1 May from Denbigh Library call 01745 816 313 or visit www.mantell-aur.com.

*Wednesday 11 July – Friday 13 July, 6.30pm-9.00pm (10.00pm Friday)

Awen, Caerphilly Castle

Myths and legends have always been intriguing and Awen is no different. A three-day celebration of poetic inspiration through sculpture, film, dance, music and drama reflecting vibrancy and culture of the region. FREE ticketed events. For tickets visit www.blackwoodminersinstitute.com / www.visitcaerphilly.com or call 01495 227 206.

*Saturday 16 June – Sunday 15 July

Saturday 14 July – Promenade Theatre Event 2.00-4.00pm

Sunday 15 July – National Botanic Gardens 2.00pm.

Talacharn Trails & Tales, Laugharne Castle

The enchanted twelfth-century castle will play its part in an adventure trail laden with clues and riddles. By peering through the gatehouse or roaming the gardens, visitors will find answers to unlock the secrets of this literary town. Normal castle and garden admission prices apply; visit www.talacharntrails.com or www.cadw.wales.gov.uk or call 01437 720392 for more information.

Monday 16 & Tuesday 17 July, 8.00-9.30pm

Men of Harlech, Harlech Castle

Get ready to rock! Seven centuries of Welsh history brought to life with a creative bang. An anthem to stir the soul and provide inspiration for this two-night spectacular of music, song and dance – over 250 young people from Gwynedd tell the story of seven historic epochs through twenty-first century eyes. Tickets £8/£5 concessions / £20 family (2 adults + 2 children). Tickets available from www.cytser.com and Harlech Castle on 01766 780 552.

Innocent fruit sports day | Events

Posted on by

Innocent fruit sports day, Regents Park, London 22nd July 2012

Dig out your shorts, dust off your running shoes and start warming up.

After three whole years, innocent’s summer festival makes a welcome return this July. As the official smoothie and juice of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, innocent will be hosting their very own fruit sports day themed festival in Regent’s Park on Sunday 22nd July 2012.

It will be a great day out for all the family, and it’s the perfect way to get you into the spirit of the Olympic Games a week before the world’s biggest sporting event kicks off.

Over the course of the day, you’ll be able to take part in a host of fruity sports day pursuits. Enter track and field events like the 100m kiwi and spoon, squash-put or marrow-thon, pop along for a spot of peach volleyball or have a go at our take on curling with a potato and broom. You’ll be able to make and break records, be in with the chance to win tickets to London 2012 events or even race against an Olympian.

And when all that running around gets a bit much, there will be plenty of tasty, natural, healthy food to eat, a big farmers’ market to explore, as well as live folk, jazz and swing music from our acoustic stage and an eclectic mix of pop up performances from roving bands, musicians and entertainers. There will also be loads of stuff for kids to do, a warm up and work out tent, open air dance floors, poetry corner, and a chill out area with yoga and massages to soothe those weary limbs. And, of course, there’ll be plenty of smoothies to taste.

It all starts at 11am and runs until 7pm. So, pencil it in your diary, scribble it on your hand and tell all your friends.

To find out more and book tickets visit www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/fruitsportsday. Tickets will be available from May priced at £10 for adults and £5.50 for kids/concessions.