Do you remember the last time London hosted the Olympic Games?
Published on: 3rd February 2012
With the London 2012 Olympic Games now just six months away, Leeds City Council has launched a special project to remember the last time the world’s greatest sporting event came to Britain.
Supported by £39,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the project ‘Olympics: Then and now’ looks to compare the building excitement around this year’s Games with the memories from 64 years ago when London last hosted the Olympics in 1948.
The project contains several elements, such as bringing young people in Leeds together with more elderly residents to discuss the similarities and differences between life in Britain in 1948 and 2012. There will also be learning opportunities and a section devoted to recognising older people currently participating in sport and physical activity as well as encouraging people of all ages to be more active.
The initial focus of the project is on gathering memories from Leeds residents of the 1948 Olympic Games. Project organiser Allyson Bertram, Leeds City Council’s older peoples’ sport development officer, is keen to hear from anyone who attended the Games in London or has any memories of it or any memorabilia related to it.
Working with the West Yorkshire Archive Service, one aim of the project is to record these recollections to form part of an oral history of life in Britain at the time. These recordings along with memorabilia from the 1948 Olympics will be used to form part of a special exhibition which will be on display in Leeds City Museum this summer.
Leeds City Council’s older peoples’ sport development officer Allyson Bertram said:
“This project is a slightly different take on all the other Olympics-related stories we are going to see in the coming months as it looks back to the last time London hosted the Games in 1948 and reflecting on how things have changed or stayed the same in Britain.
“It would be fantastic if lots of people got in touch with us with their memories of the 1948 Games or any memorabilia about it they would be willing to loan to us as part of the exhibition display at Leeds City Museum.
“There are lots of different aspects to the project but the key element is bringing the generations together around a shared celebration of the OIympic Games and it will be really interesting to see people of different ages come together in this way. We’d very much like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund for their wonderful support.”
‘Olympics: Then and Now’ is organised by Leeds City Council and supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
For more information contact Leeds City Council’s older peoples’ sport development officer Allyson Bertram on 0113 395 0196 or email allyson.bertram@leeds.gov.uk
