Evaluation of ‘imove’, Yorkshire and Humber’s Legacy Trust UK Regional Programme for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games [Final Report]

Abstract

imove was Yorkshire & Humberside’s Legacy Trust UK programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. By becoming part of the Cultural Olympiad it aimed to leave a lasting legacy from the Games at grassroots and institutional levels across the region. It built engagement through a dynamic and imaginative arts programme, which integrated sport and physical activities in a celebration of human movement. Formally launched to the public in 2010, imove’s programme included performing and visual arts, creative movement, sport and outdoor activity.

The programme involved a range of partners in delivering both small[ and large[scale projects in response to the imove mission, which was to:

• Explore and transform people’s relationship to their own bodies through movement.
• Shift the relationship between society and the moving body.

These were ambitious aims and the London 2012 Olympics offered an opportunity to realise them.

Between 2009 and September 2012, imove worked in partnership with over 150 artists and cultural organisations. From a total core funding of £2.65m1, imove generated some £1.5m in matched funds, involved over 25,700 people as participants, over 2 million as live audiences and over 4 million as online audiences.