Inspire » Northamptonshire

Watch This Space in partnership with The National Trust and Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts produced a high quality cutting edge outdoor evening spectacle that took place on the 5th and 6th November 2009. The project animated one of the regions most important landmarks through the celebration of its unique cultural heritage.

The project also hosted a series of workshops at local primary schools, secondary schools and community groups sharing local heritage through artistic techniques

Inspired by the urban regeneration of East London and the development of the Olympic Park, SQUARELIGHT is an innovative 365 day LED lighting projection and animation scheme within Northampton’s historic Market Square.

SQUARELIGHT utilises the latest in public energy efficient LED lighting technology, maximising energy savings and halving the carbon footprint of existing public lighting, by savings of 17.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

The project will consist of a group exhibition & events based around the life & work of local poet John Clare.

This project celebrates the work of a local community cultural hero, and introduces the work to a new and young audience. The project is delivered by people who are very passionate about the work of John Clare and this project provides an opportunity to put his work in the spotlight.

Get Sporty is a county wide project to increase the range of sports specific opportunities available to communities and drive participation in the lead up to 2012.

The main priority group is 8-25 year olds but the project will also support those 25+ to access local opportunities. Participants will engage with the project by attending a free introductory programme in a chosen sport where they be coached by NGB qualified coaches. The introductory sessions will be delivered in partnership with local clubs.

BLINK delivered a series of artist led interventions on Northampton’s historic Market Square and adjacent facades as part of the Open Weekend 2010.

These significant and distinct commissioned interventions have been devised to deliberately disorientate and delight passing members of the public whilst also demonstrating a radical alternative use for the Market Square.

The Corby Celebration gave the community of Corby the chance to be part of Open Weekend and celebrate the 1st anniversary of Corby’s East Midlands International Pool.

The celebration event started on Friday 23rd July 2010 with a community International Football match at Lodge Park Sports Centre. Then on Saturday 24^th July there were various demonstrations and come and try sessions in sport, arts and music.

The study support programme links the Olympic and Paralympic values to the 8 Global learning key concepts: Global citizenship, interdependence, conflict resolution, human rights, diversity, social justice, sustainable development, values and perceptions.

Going for Gold includes a variety of innovative and interactive activities including outdoor education and sports activities such as archery, ropes courses and climbing. The project uses the games as a great way to harness enthusiasm and motivation, but not just as a way of inspiring children and young people to participate in sport but as a catalyst to support improved outcomes for children and young people in line with Every Child Matters. 

The Great outdoors project uses the ambition of London 2012 to inspire people to take action in their own communities.

It aims to inspire people in the communities around the five nature reserves in Northamptonshire to visit the nature reserves, learn about the natural world and take responsibility for their local wildlife and green spaces through practical volunteering.

The legacy of “School of Life” is to create a new host of volunteers who will be able to support a range of planned activity in the county as part of the Cultural Olympiad and in the build up to 2012.

We live in an ageing society with older people now outnumbering younger people and the relationship between the 2 generations is not always easy. The project gives the chance for both generations to learn new skills- older people to pass on their skills and knowledge gained throughout their longer and varied lives, while at the same time recognising and learning from the skills and talents of the younger generation.

Passport to excellence is a scheme targeting individuals who are 16 years of age or older who are competing at a regional level in a Sport England recognised sport and who live in Daventry District. The project aims to help local athletes achieve their dreams.

The project is inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics as its primary aim is to assist local talented athletes in their Journey towards an Olympic or Paralympic Games, be it in 2012 or beyond. It is hoped that by assisting these individuals Daventry may one day produce an athlete who will win medals and that could act as an inspiration to other local residents and young people.

This County wide project seeks to work with young people and adults to get more people active in playing the Olympic sport of volleyball, as well as developing local coaches, clubs and volunteers.

The project will:

1)     Increase the range of volleyball opportunities available to local communities to participate in high quality, local coaching programmes, including people with disabilities.

2)     Developing new volleyball clubs in the county, currently only one offering junior coaching activity. The aim is to increase this to at least 4 clubs by 2012.

3)     Develop county pathways to ensure effective progression through the sports system (this would include the development of player, leader, coach and volunteer pathways.)

Street Football is a scheme targeting young people aged between 11-19 who are currently engaged in crime and anti-social behaviour within the Daventry District.

The project specifically targets 3 local areas, identified through consultation with key partner organisations (Daventry District Housing, Daventry District and South Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership) that are considered crime hotspots. The young people who attend the Street Football project will be provided with quality football coaching, issue based learning experiences and most importantly a safe and enjoyable environment in which to spend their time.

ACE- Active Cycling 4 Everyone plans to establish a cycling culture in the villages of South Northamptonshire.

The project will create a rider-friendly environment with plenty of local support and advice for cyclists, whether they use their bike to commute to work, for recreational use with the family, or even as a sport. The project is lead by the Local Authority who has purchased 20 cycles of various sizes which it will take out to the villages for the residents to use free of charge to encourage their participation in the project.  By providing the opportunity to try cycling and removing the necessity to buy a bike, the project hopes to promote the benefits of cycling throughout the community and encourage people to get active.

Launching at Open Weekend 2011 the project will deliver 6 weeks of organised sporting activity throughout the district; this will be in the form of ‘sports camps’ and ‘activityzone on the road.’

This project has been energised by London 2012 and has changed it’s focus for 2011, diverting away from the main steam sports such as cricket and football to give the districts young people the chance to come and try the more alternative Olympic sports such as handball, volleyball, cycling, fencing and archery. The new “sports camp” programme is offered in a bid to inspire their imagination and participation further than 2012.

CLIX is an innovative and exciting digital photography project that encourages participants to explore the values and themes of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012. Delivered through Northamptonshire’s Study Centres, CLIX will promote the county’s key cultural and sporting assets.

CLIX will be taking place at the following study centres: 

Adrenalin Alley, Corby

Northampton Saints Rugby Club

Northampton Town Football Club

Northamptonshire Cricket Club

Rushden & Diamonds Football Club

Silverstone Race Circuit

Blaze! Dance Relay is an exciting dance project involving community performances in five outdoor areas of Northamptonshire and culminating in a finale extravaganza of performances, for people of any age and background to take part.

This is an opportunity to be part of a record breaking dance routine with hundreds of people dancing together and celebrating dance throughout Northamptonshire. 

Daventry Sports Leadership Academy is a programme to develop local young leaders and volunteers by providing them with additional support, training and qualifications in order to assist each individual to develop a career in sport.

As part of the course participants will have to volunteer on a large-scale event. The event that young leaders will be working towards will be the 2011 Open Weekend to be held at Daventry Leisure Centre and Althorp House. They will also be encouraged to volunteer at The Run ’11 and various other sporting events throughout the summer holidays and beyond. The project aims to build capacity locally, by increasing the number of volunteers available to support sports clubs, projects and events within the county.

Lead by the Borough Council of Wellingborough, this project aims to increase participation in Olympic and Paralympic sports. The project which primarily targets young people will launch over Open Weekend with a family showcase of come and try it activities hosted by local clubs.

The project will continue throughout the summer by offering a variety of taster sessions as part of a larger offer to increase participation.  The project has specifically targeted Olympic and Paralympic sports so as to enthuse and capture the spirit of the games and encourage cross generation participation.