London 2012 Olympics

I recently invited local schools to join me in a visit to the Olympic Park in East London. I was joined by Chiswick Councillors Todd, McGregor and Oulds, as well as the School Sports Partnership based at Isleworth and Syon School, Chiswick Community School and Brentford Football Club.

The visit was arranged since I was part of the Olympic Bill Committee in Parliament. The bill made a small number of technical amendments to the advertising and trading, ticket touting and traffic management provisions of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006. The Bill also introduced measures to extend the powers to seize unauthorised and fake merchandise and raise the find for Olympic ticket touts from £5,000 to £20,000. During the debate, I raised the issues of the lessons London can learn from other hosting countries, how the traffic conventions during the Games will be enforced, as well as their impact on non-Games related traffic.

Having seen how much has already been achieved at the Olympic site with just a year to go until the Games, I believe the London Olympics and Paralympics provide us with an outstanding opportunity to showcase the best we have to offer to the world. Londoners, who have contributed to the success of the Games, should be encouraged to get involved as much as possible, either through attending or volunteering. Let's make this the best Games ever, showing the best of what London and the UK can offer. Let's also do all we can to create a really strong, lasting legacy and use this for getting more young people involved in sport, creating stronger communities, great team spirit and a healthier nation.

Nominate an Olympic Torchbearer!

With just over a year to go before the London 2012 Olympics, I want local residents to consider nominating someone to be a Torchbearer for the Games. Do you know someone truly inspirational or someone who always strives to do their best? Out there are ordinary people doing extraordinary things - people from all walks of life and from all over the UK. I need your help to find them.
The Olympics' organisers are looking for truly incredible individuals whose personal stories will inspire millions of people watching the Olympic Torch Relay - in their community, across the UK and around the world.
It would be great to see a representative from Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth, Osterley or Hounslow carrying the Olympic Torch in the Relay. I really do hope that local residents will consider who they think deserves to take part and then nominate them. I believe that the London Olympics and Paralympics provide us with an outstanding opportunity to showcase the best we have to offer to the world - and that should include the people of our local area. If you know someone who has inspired you to do something you never thought possible, someone who always tries to be the best that they can be, someone who makes a real difference in their school or local community, someone who has shown what it means to be a real friend, a person who shows respect for other people and knows the importance of fair play, in essence, a person who truly represents the Olympic spirit - then please nominate them.
If you think you know someone who has what the organisers are looking for and really deserves to represent the UK in the Torch Relay, nominate them at:
http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay
Nominations close at 11.59pm on 29th June 2011.

Olympic Success

Chris Hoy and Team GB have done an incredible job in Beijing. Chris received three gold medals and in his words ... is now "shattered"! I am not surprised. The training regime is intense - both physically and mentally. We will never know how much they suffered along the way to achieve what they have.

They will be an inspiration to many across the country. They show that it is possible to achieve dreams. That it is rewarding to work hard and achieve your 'maximum' ... be the best you can be. The commitment is huge and there is much sacrificed along the way. But with the goal in sight, it is worth it in the end.

We can all learn from them. When the going gets tough, we just need to take a deep breath, visualise the dream again, find the inner strength and step forward with renewed vigour and determination. The impossible can then be made possible.

The Olympics comes to Brentford Football Club

Congratulations to Brentford Football Club for being selected as one of the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camps. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) have announced a range of sites and facilities which will support athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

Brentford Football Club has also recently teamed up with Barratt Homes Limited and completed the purchase of a 7.6 acre regeneration site at Lionel Road in Brentford. Their plans for the new multi-million pound stadium look exciting, as recently demonstrated in the House of Commons (see photo).