Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park’s generates international backing

Sheffield’s exciting Olympic Legacy Park (OLP) has received international backing.

Senior representatives from the Toshiba Corporation, the multinational conglomerate with a diverse product range including vehicles, electronics and technology, household appliances, health and medical kit, flew in from Japan to meet with key figures behind the plans for the Olympic legacy project on the site of the former Don Valley Stadium in the city’s East End.

The OLP will feature an Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) which represents a unique opportunity for the practical development of the country’s wellbeing agenda and delivering the 2012 Olympic Legacy on Health.

The AWRC will be based in a multi-million state of-the-art facility, the centrepiece of the new Olympic Legacy Park which will feature exciting new indoor and outdoor facilities allowing the design, research, evaluation and implementation of products linking the medical, physical activity, leisure and sports sectors.

Former Sports Minister the Rt. Hon Richard Caborn, who is driving the project, said: “Interest in what we are doing here in Sheffield is significantly building outside the region, including a number of international organisations.

The Toshiba party also visited the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), including the Medical Advanced Research Centre, on the Rotherham-Sheffield border.

The AWRC model will mirror the highly successful Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre on the highly successful AMP where companies such as Boeing and Rolls Royce are located.

Toshiba’s visit follows interest from Panasonic, BBraun and Siemens as well as support from the International Olympic Committee, the Cabinet Office and Public Health England for the Olympic Legacy Park which will see the Sheffield Eagles Rugby League club move into a new complex.

The complex will feature a high quality synthetic pitch, a main stand seating 2,500, a 50 bed hotel, catering and hospitality areas and facilities developed in partnership with Sheffield’s second University Technical College (UTC) providing two main streams of Human Science and Digital Media.

In addition, a new sustainable multi-purpose indoor community arena will be the future home of the Sheffield Sharks basketball team.

The Park will feature a new school which is currently under construction with nearly 50% of the steel framework already erected.

Mr Caborn said: “To get a visit from Toshiba sends out a strong message about the Legacy Project. To get three senior people from that same organisation coming to Sheffield indicates the strength of our offer.

“They were very interested in the Olympic Legacy Park and the AWRC and how our proposals could fit in with their forward planning around product development in the health and physical activity sectors.”