Sheffield is the only city in the world with an Olympic Legacy Park that has not hosted the Olympics, and yet it is the physical embodiment of the transformation of the city.
The park is delivering a tangible legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games through a combination of world class sports facilities, education, new skills, research and innovation, environmental improvements and opportunities for the local community.
Built on an old brownfield industrial site, it is now home to Sheffield Hallam University's 'Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre', a University Technical College, state of the art training and physical performance centres, and the chosen destination for the world's first ever Centre for Child Health Technology.
What this all means is that health meets innovation; investment meets outcomes; and education and research meet digital and tech. Public, private and not-for-profit organisations can plan, research, innovate and produce at rapid pace with superior technology, making this a place truly worthy of carrying the heritage of London's 2012 Olympics.
The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is the catalyst for the economic regeneration of the Lower Don Valley, bringing investment and relocation opportunities to a deprived area of the city with a strong industrial and manufacturing history.
It now represents the beginning of Sheffield's Innovation District, which stretches all the way down this geographical corridor to the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, which is home to McLaren and produces some of the world's most advanced light-weighting facilities.
However, there is still a strong presence of place, community and neighbourhood here. The regeneration story is about more than facilities and property, which is why the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is home to one of the city's Junior Park Runs as well as The English Institute of Sport where numerous GB athletes train, alongside local teams and groups, giving the local area access to not just jobs but healthier lives and wider opportunities.
It started with a spark
The fire from the flame.
The spirit of the games, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
We laid down our marker
An ideal that was forged from a philosophy
A belief that health and well-being is a right.
A belief that sport can pave the way for something
that will enthuse, engage and excite....
