THE leader of Suffolk County Council has pledged to capitalise on the benefits that the 2012 Olympics in London will bring to the region.Jeremy Pembroke said that he would be inviting all Suffolk district councils to join the county council in setting up a countywide group to reap the rewards that the games will provide.

THE leader of Suffolk County Council has pledged to capitalise on the benefits that the 2012 Olympics in London will bring to the region.

Jeremy Pembroke said that he would be inviting all Suffolk district councils to join the county council in setting up a countywide group to reap the rewards that the games will provide.

He said: "The award of the 2012 Olympics to London is a marvelous opportunity and it will bring a number of benefits to Suffolk that we need to take advantage of.

"Together with the Suffolk County Council chief executive, Mike More, I will be asking colleagues in other districts, the Suffolk Development Agency and the Suffolk Tourism Partnership to join with us to form a working group so that we can start to plan early."

Mr Pembroke said that he would also be talking to council leaders in Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire to see if they could all do something together.

"We must make sure that as a region we are ready and derive lasting benefits from these Games in terms of sport, tourism, education, culture and the economy," he added.

"The impetus given to sport in Suffolk and to all the young people and clubs will be very, very important.

I am a great believer in the young playing as much sport as possible and it will be a fantastic boost to them when the Olympics finally arrive.

"We are only one hour away from London and have a good infrastructure that will link to the Olympic Village in Stratford.

"Therefore we have to be ready to welcome guests from abroad as well as athletes who may well be staying in Suffolk to take advantage of our great training facilities.

"We have so much to offer and now we have to get on and make it happen and start working to make a positive contribution to what will be a truly great event."

The region is set to reap huge financial dividends thanks to the decision to stage the 2012 Games in London.

Millions of pounds are expected to be ploughed into the Suffolk economy as tourists, athletes and sports enthusiasts take advantage of the county's close links to the capital.

Tourism bosses say both Suffolk and Essex will have a real role in the preparation of the event, with many areas already bidding to become hosts for some of the Olympic teams.

Sports and recreational facilities will also undoubtedly improve as Suffolk gears up to boost its profile as a tourist destination across the globe.

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