Last updated at 14:53, Tuesday, 26 June 2012

WHILE the 2012 Olympic Games will be centred on London, Cumbria has already received a massive boost thanks to the global sporting event.

LIFT: Torch bearer Stephanie Booth on MV Tern.

Thursday saw The Glebe in Bowness host one of four finales of the Cultural Olympiad, which launched the London 2012 Festival.

Thousands of spectators turned out to witness one of the most spectacular outdoors shows ever seen in the Lake District.

The huge Lakes Alive event featured a world class performance of dance, music and drums from European fire and percussion specialists, Les Commandos Percu. Accompanying the Toulouse-based troupe were 12 of the UK’s best up-and-coming drummers and dancers.

The performance followed the celebration event to welcome the Olympic Torch to Bowness. Chart sensation Katy B and Cumbrian indie heroes British Sea Power kept the crowds entertained before Les Commandos Percu’s grand finale.

The performance, called On The Night Shift, took over a year-and-a-half of planning and was brought to the area by arts company, Kendal Arts International.

Julie Tait, director of Kendal Arts International, declared the show a major triumph. She said: “I’m still coming down to earth. it was amazing. As a spectator, it was every superlative you could think of. The weather was pretty bad, but that didn’t seem to put the audience off at all. They were incredibly enthusiastic.

“Professionally, it was a landmark moment in the history of Lakes Alive, Kendal Arts International and Street Arts in Cumbria. London 2012 arrived in the Lake District and the Lake District put on one hell of a show.”

Lakes Alive shows in the past have been found to bring £1.3m of spending into the local economy. Officially, for every £1 spent on organising and hosting such events, it brings in £2.22 to local tills.

Tony Blaney, chairman of the Lakes Hospitality Association, said while not all hotels and guest houses in Bowness were fully booked – as a lot of the visitors at Thursday night’s event were locals and day-trippers – the local economy will have received a boost from the thousands of spectators calling into pubs, cafes and shops. But the biggest event of last week for hoteliers was the Great North Swim, which ran from Friday to Sunday.

With around 10,000 swimmers signed up to take, Mr Blaney estimated that including their support teams of family and friends, the South Lakes hotel trade would have seen an additional 30,000 to 40,000 visitors. He said: “The Great North Swim is a big event for us, some people book up to a year in advance as soon as the dates are confirmed.”

This year, torrential rain led to Friday’s and Saturday’s events being cancelled, and it was estimated more than 5,000 swimmers still took part.

But even if the whole event was cancelled, Mr Blaney said most participants would probably still have visited the Lakes anyway.

He explained: “In that sense we aren’t affected by the weather. In the Lakes, there’s always something to do, so even if an event was cancelled, most people would still keep their booking.”

He added: “Any event – whether cultural or sporting – is great for the Lakes, as it brings in visitors in addition to the usual tourist trade.”

First published at 13:37, Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk