Commonwealth Games legacy strong one year on

Post-Games Report shows that the Games provided social, cultural and economic benefits.

A year after the opening ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, a report has been published which shows the Games contributed more than £740M to the economy.

Published today, the Post-Games Report has shown that in the eight years since Glasgow was awarded the extravaganza that brought sporting to success to Scotland, it has benefited the country’s economy and helped to create jobs.

As well as economic benefits, the report has shown cultural and social improvements have been made in the aftermath of the Commonwealth Games.

This ‘unforgettable event’ not only brought the eyes of the sporting world on Scotland, who finished fourth in the medals table after the 261 events spanning 11 days, but the wider-reaching benefits of the Games are enormous.

Regeneration in Glasgow, Rutherglen and South Lanarkshire has been significant, and the legacy left is notable given that the general public now has access to many sporting facilities such as the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

The Post-Games Report indicates that the labour market was boosted by giving 11,000 young people in Scotland and approximately 6,000 in Glasgow benefiting from local and national employment programmes that have been implemented thanks to the association with the Commonwealth Games.

The reach of the Games’ events and size were increased and the report shows that visitor spending at the Games was responsible for a net amount of £73M to Scotland’s economy in 2014.

Looking at the wider gross figure of £740M quoted in the report, approximately £390M of that contributed to Glasgow’s economy and on average, from 2007 to 2014, it is estimated that the Games supported an average of 2,100 jobs, with over 1,000 based in Glasgow.

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, hailed the report as something that showed the Games are about more than just sporting achievements.

She said: “The 2014 Commonwealth Games was an unforgettable event and a resounding sporting success. Widely regarded as the best Games in their history, it was a chance for Glasgow and Scotland to show the world the very best that we have to offer.

“But as this evaluation report also shows, the Games were about far more than two weeks of great sport. The economic, cultural and regeneration benefits have been significant.

“More than 11,000 young people across Scotland have benefited from Games-related employability programmes. In excess of 20,000 opportunities to take part through volunteering were created – at the Games themselves, the Ceremonies, in Glasgow City at Games Time and through the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.

“One in ten East End households in the GoWell East study reported employment gains from the Games.

“Along with our partners, we’ve always been determined to ensure that there is a lasting legacy to the Games that starts in the East End of Glasgow and stretches well beyond.

“We now have 60 national legacy programmes in place, with the latest, a leadership programme for young people called 33Sixty, being announced today.

“Through these schemes, we are funding, encouraging and promoting programmes large and small in communities right around the country and ensuring that the benefits of the Games will be felt for many years to come.”

The post Commonwealth Games legacy strong one year on appeared first on UK Construction Online.