HealTogether CIC – a visit to the UEL Olympic Archive
About this record
This record is about the visit that Heal Together undertook to the University of East London Archive which houses collection material from the British Olympic Association and a range of material related to the London 2012 Olympics.
Members of HealTogether CIC at the University of East London Olympic Archive. Image © UKBIGMAX Ltd
Our trip to the University of East London Docklands campus on the 19th of May 2022 was inspirational. We were excited to learn all about Newham’s role in this, the greatest sporting event in the world.
We were met by Paul Dudman from UEL’s British Olympic Archives who showed and discussed some fascinating materials from the archive.
"From our side, we thought this was a great event too and this type of community-focused collaboration fits in very well with our goals around civic engagement and outreach. We would be very interested in therefore looking at ways that we might be able to continue to work with you and think about the potential for collaborations. I think working with the younger generations is definitely a very important area for future work and we would be open to future discussions around this."
We realised that we didn’t know much about Newham, the multicultural borough we call home and spent some time in discussion about the subject. We promised ourselves not only to find out more about the diversity around us but also to encourage our children to learn more about the history of the borough. We will continue to do more projects that inspire the younger generation.
Members of HealTogether CIC at the UEL British Olympic Archive. Image © UKBIGMAX Ltd
On our visit, we were encouraged to dream big because we learned that one third of Team GB’s medal winners in London 2012 were either born abroad or had a parent or grandparent born outside of the UK. In fact, immigration had a part to play in at least 24 of 65 medals claimed by Team GB in its most successful Olympic Games in over a century.
What was most encouraging about our visit was the realisation that British medal winners reflected nations’ ethnic diversity in 2012.
We are Newham, and Newham is a melting pot of diverse communities that make it colourful and vibrant.
We also learnt about how the London 2012 Olympic games were planned, executed and delivered – inspiring a generation.
Official London 2012 Olympic mascot to inspire our preparations. Image © UKBIGMAX Ltd
Although our visit was short, we were left with lots of ideas and inspiration with which to inject into our own London 2012 Olympic event.
A celebration of the diversity and achievements of Team GB through art, poetry, and music. FULL DETAILS +
Additional record details
- Contributor: HealTogether CIC
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