KENT NEWS: A celebration of sporting, art and cultural events is taking place across the county to mark the two-year countdown to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Open Weekend event takes places from Friday, July 23, to Sunday, July 25, with the theme ‘challenge yourself’.
Members of the public will have the chance to take part in something new or take a hobby to another level.
Activities include learning to belly dance, attending a film festival and helping to create a 26 metre monoprint of Margate seafront.
An exhibition by the Creative Campus Initiative, which is made up of 13 institutions including Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of the Creative Arts, invites visitors to get involved in speed drawing among other activities.
Full listings can be found at http://www.london2012.com/openweekend by selecting Kent.
London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe said: “Open Weekend will lead the nation into the two year countdown to the start of the London 2012 Games with new personal bests being set right across the UK.
“It is another opportunity for thousands of people to join in with the London 2012 Games.”
Sport and Olympics Minister and Faversham and Mid-Kent MP, Hugh Robertson, said it was a great opportunity for people to get involved in the Games.
“With activities ranging from art and music to drama and sport, this is a fabulous opportunity to enjoy the excitement and opportunities generated by the Olympics – and have some fun,” he said.
Open Weekend, supported by BP, the premier partner of the Cultural Olympiad, is now in its third year and will continue every year until the 2012 Games.
Caterina Loriggio, creative programmer for London 2012, South East and member of the South East Partnership, said: “Open Weekend in the South East is going to be an exciting three days of festivals, events, taster days, world record attempts and sporting challenges.
“You will be able to try anything from joining a steel pan orchestra to a virtual reality bike ride, from creating a community comic to stop frame animation.
“Over the past two years 500,000 people in the region have attended Open Weekend events – I hope we can double that number this year as we count down to Games time.”
Other activities in Kent include the Brenchley Gardens music in Maidstone, the Dover Film Festival, orienteering in Canterbury and guided walks of rural Tunbridge Wells.
POSTED: 23/07/2010 08:00:00
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