RCN and the Olympics and Paralympics

Olympic Games – 27 July to 12 August 2012
Paralympic Games – 29 August to 9 September 2012

The Olympics and Paralympics will soon be with us and RCN London region is keen to keep members up to date with all opportunities.

Transport planning - Get Ahead of the Games

A new website has been launched to help Londoners prepare for transport problems during the games. Visit Get Ahead of the Games.

Your Personal Best

The RCN is supporting Your Personal Best, a campaign designed to encourage over 55s with long-term conditions to be more active. It is being run by GSK, NHS London and the London Olympic organising committee.

Read about the Your Personal Best launch
Visit the Your Personal Best website

Are you volunteering?

The RCN would like to hear from any London members who have been offered a starring role in the Olympics or Paralympics. It could be as a games maker - both in nursing and in other roles, a cultural ambassador or even carrying the Olympic torch.

Please send an email and let the RCN know.

Local leaders

National campaign launches to seek Local Leaders – 29 March 2012

A national advertising campaign has been launched to attract Local Leaders in London and nationally to organise community celebrations around the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Posters will be going up on buses, train stations and hoardings The slogan is “ If this sounds right up your street...”

Copies of the posters can be downloaded from the London 2012 website.

Some ideas for local leaders are:

gather family and friends as the Olympic flame pases through a local town
planting Olympic-themed flowers
school holiday activities
join a Paralympic lantern festival.

Find out more from a Local Leaders flyer (PDF 209KB) [see how to access PDF files]
Find out more on the 2012 local leaders website.

Employment opportunities

If you live in any of the six host boroughs for the Olympics you can join a register to be informed of job opportunities over the Olympic period – these will be part-time as well as full time. They can also be seen on the London 2012 website.

A recruitment event is taking place on 7 February, between 10am and 2pm at John Lewis (Stadium Suite), 3rd Floor, Westfield Stratford City. For more information and to register, call 0845 266 8707.

Have a look at this employment opportunities leaflet (PDF 1.58MB) for more details. See how to access PDF files.

Legacy of the Olympic park

Find out about the long-term future of the Olympic park (PDF 4MB).

NHS London getting fit for the Games

NHS London has developed a microsite demonstrating how the organisation is planning for the 2012 Games and helping to deliver a Games legacy. You can access the site at www.london.nhs.uk/getting-fit-for-the-2012-games

Review explores ‘health legacy’ from 2012

A review by Canterbury Christ Church University commissioned by the Department of Health in 2009 provides a fascinating insight into the likely health legacy from 2012. Its conclusions and recommendations are just as relevant today as two years ago. The review examined 1778 sources of evidence from previous Olympic Games and its key findings are:

there is only poor evidence to support the idea of the Olympic Games impacting on physical activity, sports participation and health related behaviours. The Games are ‘no magic bullet’
the most effective strategy has been sports role models working with local communities
empowering communities to increase sports participation through funding and other support is vital
the role of the 'festival effect' in getting people mobilised can be greater than the Games themselves. The power of a national celebration but celebrated in local communities.

Read the full report (PDF 1.02MB).