Olympic celebrations for town centre

Plans for Olympic celebrations confirmed

Following the announcement in November that the Ilford Town Centre Management team was in discussion with Redbridge Council about celebrations to coincide with the Olympics, the two organisations have now confirmed that they are completing plans for a joint programme of activities.

Project Active Ilford will allow local residents and businesses to participate in a series of Olympics-themed events, as well as keeping up with the games via large screens that will be situated in strategic locations in the Town Centre.

Neil Davis, Town Centre Manager, said: “We want the community to catch as much of the sports action as possible and the screens will broadcast live throughout the Olympic Games. And we also want people to get involved in a wide range of other activities, which we are finalising now along with the Council.”

These will include an international food market, live music, dance events and fun activities that focus more on sports and physical exercise to reflect the nature of the Olympics.

Councillor Keith Prince, Leader of Redbridge Council, said, “We have been in discussion with Ilford BID to help them put together this exciting programme of events during the Olympic Games.  It will be a really good opportunity for residents to celebrate the Olympics locally and we’re really pleased they are looking to involve these plans. We are committed to supporting the BID in its plans and we’re hoping to finalise these as soon as possible.”

A report will go to the Council’s Cabinet in February outlining the BID’s proposals and a range of commitments from the Council. 

The activities will still be subject to the relevant planning and licensing laws where necessary.

Marc Myers, Chairman, Ilford BID, said: “I am delighted that our two organisations are proving that collaborative working is the most fruitful. Ilford Town Centre Management and London Borough of Redbridge are demonstrating some of the key recommendations of the Portas Review with this event.

“We are hoping that Ilford’s legacy of the London Games will be that our businesses and public will enjoy watching some of the games together, as well as enjoying some of the events we will organise. We want to create an atmosphere that allows people to shop, do business and be involved and seeing the Olympic events unfold in their town centre and have a memory of doing so.”

All the events will take place in the pedestrianised area of Ilford Town Centre outside Waterstones and Argos and will run from date to date. They are also free of charge.