Families and friends are set to gather together at big screens in their towns and cities to recreate the Centre Court atmosphere as London 2012 Live Sites across the UK serve up a sporting treat for Wimbledon finals weekend.
The network of Live Sites, run in partnership between the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), the BBC and the various cities across the UK will provide facilities for fans to gather and take advantage of live BBC coverage of both the women's and men's singles finals at screens in Belfast, Bradford, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Dover, Edinburgh, Leicester, Manchester, Middlesborough, Norwich, Plymouth, Portsmouth , Swansea, Swindon, Waltham Forest and Woolwich this weekend
Fans that are set to make a racket for their tennis heroes will also have the opportunity at some sites to enjoy free interactive tennis activities and even a dish of strawberries and cream. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) will provide mini coaching sessions at the Plymouth Live Site from 10.00am - 6.00pm on Saturday and Sunday, and the Birmingham and Bristol Live Sites from 10.00am - 6.00pm on Sunday. Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Norwich and Swindon sites will also stage activities where the public are able to have a go at racket sports for free (check your local Big Screen for more details).
Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Chair, said: 'This weekend's festival of tennis will give the public just a taste of how the London 2012 Live Sites will come alive during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The sites will be a destination for people to enjoy the magical moments of the Games with their friends, family and local community. The sites are not just about watching great sport though, they will provide a great opportunity for people to have a go at a sport they might not have considered trying, possibly opening the way to a new interest and a more active lifestyle.'
The BBC will stage outside broadcasts from the activities at the Plymouth and Birmingham big screens as part of their coverage of the final weekend.
Roger Mosey, BBC's director of London 2012, said: 'This weekend will be an appetiser for the way the BBC will bring the cream of Olympic sporting action to towns and cities across the UK. If you want to watch with other people, the Live Sites will offer a great experience in sharing the Gold Medal moments on a big screen. In what should be an amazing summer for the UK, Live Sites will be a way communities can get together to make it even better.'
The London 2012 Live Sites are big screens and event spaces in urban centres offering live information, video, news and community events and will be the destination for news, events and live screenings of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. There are 20 big screens already operating at locations across the UK. Working with the BBC and local authorities these Live Sites bring the latest news from London 2012. Each screen is programmed to feature a broad range of UK-wide and local content, events and partnerships with community, arts and media organisations.
The screens are erected and run in partnership between the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), the BBC and the various cities, in association with London 2012 partners BT and Lloyds TSB, supported by Cisco and with funding from the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor.
For more information, visit:www.london2012.com
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