2012 Olympic Park - 4B take the tour....

Form 4B were treated to a tour of the 2012 Olympic Park at Stratford in East London this week.

For me one of the most interesting snippets of information I learned from our - very well briefed - tour guide is that tickets to the 'Park Only' will shortly going on sale : which I am led to understand means that even if you haven't got tickets to individual events during the Olympic and Paralympic Games this Summer you will still have the chance to attend and watch the events unfold on giant screens set up around the Olympic Park.

It's all very much a work-in-progress  right now and doesn't look very  cosmetically  'pretty' : however all the main structures (Stadium, Velodrome, Aquatic Centre, Basketball arena etc) are complete and the outline of where everything else will slot into place is clearly visible.

There's also the viewing tower : a mighty steel structure with a snaking staircase (some 452 steps I think) and a lift to the double height viewing galleries at the top. The stucture - The Orbit - was being 'unwrapped' yesterday.  It looks.... well.... different against the skyline!

In some ways it's wonderful to see the project now as a construction site : knowing that in a very short space of time the butterfly will emerge from its chrysalis.

There's a huge international media centre, and the athletes' village looks as if it's nearly ready.

The stadium itself will  be entirely surrounded by water, and the wildflower meadows should shortly become a thing of beauty.

Pupils who took the tour yesterday and also have tickets for events this summer are looking forward to be able to see the difference between what they saw this week and what they will see this summer. 

As well as the outline of the BMX area, we could see work on the hockey area and got a brief glimpse into the Stadium itself.  Apparently one thing yet to be announced is exactly where on the site the Olympic Flame will live for the duration of the games. 

Pupils got a chance to tour the entire Park, and took numerous photographs which will now be used to complete their project work on the topic.  We learnt more yesterday about the history of the site, and how our competitors have fared in recent Summer Olympic Games : and what we hope them to achieve this summer.

All in all a very interesting and informative day.  Once all the transport links are in place Public Transport will definitely be the way to and from the venue!

As ever you will find further digital photographs of the day on our Vimeo Channel just click on the image below to follow the link to  www.vimeo.com/channels/mlcreative