Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) played a key role in the development of the North West Legacy Framework, launched in May 2007.

Commissioned by Sport England North West, KKP worked closely with key organisations in the region to develop the strategy for one of the six identified legacy themes, Sport and Physical Activity.

A key element of this process was the consultation, which encompassed dialogue with strategic regional bodies, NGBs, local authorities, business and commerce, development and regeneration agencies plus those representing specific communities of interest.

Between December 2006 and early February 2007, five roadshows were conducted – one in each county sports partnership (CSP) area. At these, practitioners from across the region, representing a range of sports, disciplines and interests were brought together to discuss the proposed strategy. This was accompanied by concurrent conduct of interviews with stakeholders and regional agencies.

Views and ideas were translated into strategic objectives and targets related to actions such as:

• Using the Olympic and Paralympic Games to invigorate and accelerate existing development plans and processes.
• Developing links with other Olympic nations
• A regional roadshow to allow visitors to experience relevant sports and skills.
• Olympic/Paralympic leisure card schemes
• Accrediting 2,012 Clubmark clubs by 2013
• Sports volunteering programmes based upon partnerships with key NW businesses
• Olympic/Paralympic Idol; testing and matching young people to sports at which they would be good
• A Schools Olympic passport – giving all young people the chance to try an Olympic/ Paralympic sport

KKP prepared the draft strategy based upon comment and feedback from stakeholders plus other ideas suggested within the framework.

The strategy presented to the North West Regional Sports Board in May 07 covered:

Key themes:

• Numeric challenges relating to participation, schools and young people and infrastructure
• Marketing and branding.
• Proposals to maintain momentum post-2012

Further work to develop targeted work programmes and set targets will be taken forward over the next few months.

The framework sets out the beginning of this journey, a journey that does not finish in 2012, it is a journey that will take us to 2020 and beyond to create a lasting legacy we are thinking and planning for the long term to use the Games as a catalyst for change.... Andy Worthington, Chair of the Northwest Steering Group for the 2012 Games, commenting in the published framework.