The countdown to London 2012 is hotting up with 15 March having marked just 500 days to go to the Olympics and Paralympics
Olympics countdown from Kent
Tickets for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics went on sale on 15 March, when more than 10 million wereup for grabs. Around 2.5million tickets are priced around �20 with special discounts offered to young people aged 16 and under who will pay the same amount as their age.
However, if you want to try for tickets for the opening ceremony, they could set you back a cool �2,012!
Across the county, there are celebrations taking place to mark the 500 days to go.
The Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate opens to the public on 16 April and there will be activities and events happening throughout the week to celebrate the awe-inspiring building on the seafront. The Kent Cultural Baton, a mobile public arts space, is touring the county in the run-up to 2012 and will be coming to Margate on 17 April. It will document local people’s memories and stories from the area, which will form part of a countywide project to map tales from across Kent for future generations.
Or if you are out and about in nearby Canterbury, look out for the city’s efforts to show its support for its top local athletes when large photographs of them will be unveiled around the city at high-profile locations such as department stores Fenwick and Nasons, McDonald’s and Lloyds TSB.
The 500 days countdown to 2012 is also a chance to see how the excitement is really building for next year and how the Olympics and Paralympics are being used to set up projects to benefit future generations.
Sport is not only a great way to keep fit but the skills learnt as a sports leader can help in everyday life too. Young people aged nine to19 throughout Kent have been challenged to qualify to become Sports Leaders to learn how hard work, dedication, teamwork and communication skills can help them in life, not just on the sports field.
To mark the Olympic and Paralympic countdown, Kent County Council is hoping to accredit an extra 500 young sports leaders in the county by 17 April.
Using the Paralympics as an incentive, Kent County Council has been working with Visit Kent, Tourism South East, four district councils and a whole host of accommodation and attraction providers to review how accessible the county is for visitors.
The aim is to highlight some of the best places as well as understanding more about where and how improvements can be made to benefit residents as well as the 44 million visitors who come every year generating �1.8 billion for the local economy.
