the olympics in cumbria

Rory is, today, welcoming Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt MP, to Penrith, in an event to highlight the business and cultural opportunities of Britain’s Olympic year. The Secretary of State will host a presentation at Rheged called 2012: A GREAT Opportunity for Cumbria and the Northwest, pledging his support to Cumbria to help the region make the most of events in 2012. His visit to Rory’s constituency follows yesterday’s announcement of the Olympic torch route, and the news that several lucky communities in Penrith and the Border will be able to witness the torch being carried by torchbearers as part of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. The torch will leave Land’s End, Cornwall, on the morning of Saturday 19th May 2012, taking 70 days to reach its final destination.

On Day 33 (Wednesday 20th June), it will pass through Brough, Appleby-in-Westmorland and Penrith before arriving in Carlisle for an evening celebration. The following day it will leave Carlisle and pass through Wigton on its way to the West Coast.

Thousands are expected to celebrate the Olympic Torch’s journey through Cumbria, and it is hoped that the journey will increase tourism revenue and visitors to Cumbria.

Rory said: “The Olympic year heralds real opportunities for Britain, and I am delighted that the Secretary of State is visiting Penrith to showcase the potential that the entire north-west region has to offer. Our livelihoods depend on our landscape, our people and our culture: add to this our famous Cumbrian hospitality, and we have all the ingredients to be the perfect hosts for many of the visitors who will visit Britain in 2012. The opportunities for Cumbria’s economy are immense, and I am very much looking forward to being part of it.”